Memoria Defluo
by Cytisus
Summary: The ducks get back to Puckworld and find that the Saurian War is over. The surviving six are now heroes that are about to be officially announced to the world. But within the healing of a torn planet resides loyalists to the ancient Saurian magic ... and they will avenge their slain Lord at any costs necessary. W/M, some D/T
1. Chapter 1

Memoria Defluo

Parts of this story was written fifteen (yes, FIFTEEN) years ago, when the series was still slightly relevant. I came across it and decided to give it a bit of a overhaul. I'm sort of crazy like that.

Obvious out-of-character-ness among all, as I always enjoyed adding a bit of seriousness to the show. Also blatant M/W with hints of T/D, so rated T for that, some minor language, and just general elements.

Mighty Ducks copyright Disney. Elaborations of Puckworld, the characters and their histories are a conglomerate of individual creation and accepted fandom consensus, such as the term "Old Ways" in reference to ancient Saurian magic. I wish I could remember who came up with it all those years ago.

Ah well. To those who still enjoy basking in the nostalgia of a very old series, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

"He's here?" she asked almost too anxiously. Nosedive was behind her and looked just as eager, however.

"I'm sorry. You are?" The male duck asked, his arms crossed in front of him. His dark feathers and light brown hair were a stark contrast to each other that would be considered handsome, if it wasn't for the thick scar that had cracked the top of his bill a good two inches.

And he definitely was not a native of this land. The area they were in was remote, and the traditionalists here maintained a culture with very little technology. This male duck wore more civilized clothing and had a COM unit equipped to his wrist.

Here the native ducks would frown upon such innovation, preferring to stick with the ancient magic rituals of their ancestors. It was similar to the tribes back on Earth, though here they were far larger and more of a community than a small settlement.

Mallory sighed as she realized this male duck was going to be difficult. "I'm Mallory McMallard-Flashblade, this is Nosedive Flashblade. We're looking for Wildwing—I'm his lifemate and this is his brother."

The male duck did not look convinced, his nearly-black eyes frowning at the two. "I'm supposed to believe you?"

Nosedive rolled his eyes. "Jeez, haven't heard of the Strike Force Six have you?"

"Oh, I've heard of them."

Nosedive raised his eyebrows, waiting for the male duck to elaborate.

The male duck dawned a look of mock surprise. "I'm sorry, I'm supposed to believe you two are _members_ of the Strike Force?"

"Dive, we're not suppose to say anything," Mallory warned, though there was no real concern in her voice.

Nosedive huffed a bit. "At this point I don't care."

They'd been back on Puckworld for a little over three weeks, now. Their return had been quiet, and when they announced their arrival to the Council—Puckworld's parliament more or less—the government officials quickly brought them into hiding until they could prepare.

It took nearly a week for the paperwork to be completed. Apparently bringing six ducks back to life required cutting through a lot of red tape.

It took nearly another week after that for the government to get all of their official statements regarding their time on Earth, as well as what had happened to Canard. Wildwing had been especially bent out of shape by their obvious suspicion of their stories, but when Tanya showed them proof of Earth and Dragaunas' death they became much more respectful of their tales.

When all that had been done the Council had wanted to contact all of their respective family members before telling the world they were back. By this point rumor had begun to spread rampantly that the Strike Force had indeed returned, but it was a rumor that had apparently occurred before.

Even who the actual members of the Strike Force were was a mystery to most of Puckworld, as their formation during the war had been kept so secret that, afterwards, the amount of missing civilians and soldiers more than protected the elite seven from ever being deduced by the process of elimination.

While waiting for the world's announcement they'd been treated like royalty and kept in a mansion on a government base to be served on daily. They weren't allowed to venture far for obvious reasons, but Mallory and Wildwing managed to sneak out for a walk a few days before the Council planned to send out convoys to collect their respective family members. From there it'd only be a day or two before the world would be officially notified of their return.

From that moment on they'd be treated like celebrities, and for once they both wanted to enjoy the anonymity that they hadn't experienced in so long. Between being aliens on another world and heroes on this one, it'd most likely be their first and only quiet walk together.

Unfortunately, karma had other things in mind for them. What they hadn't known about was a group of traitors known as Old Ways Worshippers. During the Invasion traitors had ratted out Resistance strongholds in return for their lives. They underwent binding spells with Saurians to learn the Old Ways—the ancient magic of the Saurian race—and used the magic to maintain communication with the lizards while undercover in the Resistance. But by learning the magic their souls had become dark, and even after the Invasion they still worshipped the ancient method and its king:

Wraith.

So when rumor began circling that the Strike Force was back and had defeated Dragaunas and his minions, the group of loyalists took it upon themselves to infiltrate the government-run base and find out for themselves.

How long they'd been on them Mallory couldn't have said; being on Puckworld had lowered her defenses far too much, making the attack that much more unexpected.

Mallory had been knocked unconscious and when she'd awoken she'd found herself in the infirmary.

The sounds of a battle had alerted the others, saving Mallory from certain annihilation.

But Wildwing was already gone when they'd arrived.

During the fight Nosedive had managed to capture one of the traitors. With help from government officers they managed to get the duck to tell them that Wildwing had been accidentally casted away by a misfired spell.

It had been meant to freeze him so the loyalists could attack without mercy; instead, it had teleported him somewhere else in Puckworld.

That'd been seven days ago. Since then the Council had put official announcements on hold until Wildwing could be found. Without a COM they were without direct contact with him, so they had to wait and hope he'd find a way to contact the base they were staying at.

After two days Mallory and Nosedive couldn't wait any longer, however. They convinced the Council to let their team search for him using a government-issued airship, provided they refrained from alerting the population of who they were.

They'd begun in remote areas where finding ways of communication would be hard. They visited culture after culture with a picture and split into two groups: Duke, Tanya and Grin had gone north, while Mallory and Nosedive had gone south.

Today was day eight since her lifemate had gone missing. A local had appeared to recognize Mallory's picture of Wildwing here, however, and she realized, along with Nosedive, that she was prepared to deliberately break her promise to the Council if it meant finding him.

That same picture she showed the local she held up to the male duck in front of her now. "He's been missing for over a week. He's wearing a gold band, and if you look under it 'Mallory' will be carved inside. Mine says 'Wildwing' on it." To prove her point Mallory slipped off her glove and pulled off her ring, offering it to the male duck. "Please," she insisted.

The male duck didn't take the ring but looked down at it to see the engraved writing. He sighed and looked back up at the two. "Yeah, he's got the ring."

Mallory and Nosedive looked at each other and back at the male duck with anxiety. If he was here why hadn't he tried contacting them?

"Is he okay?" Nosedive finally asked, finding his voice before Mallory could.

The male duck shrugged, his early defensive demeanor completely gone now. "Sure, if you don't count the amnesia."

"Amnesia?" Mallory squeaked.

"Yeah, pretty severe I think. I'm sorry for being so suspicious of you guys, but this duck's been crazy paranoid since we found him unconscious a few miles from here. At first we thought he was a hiker that had a bad fall or something, but he's been having vicious nightmares about featherless and beakless demons, Dragaunas—but who doesn't, honestly; and a redhead that he can't tell is friend or foe."

The last part of the statement caused Mallory to furrow her brow.

"Like I said, his paranoia makes us paranoid, because it sounds like he's either got or had a lot of enemies. But it looks like the right ducks got to him first." The male duck offered his hand out to both of them. "Name's Frank Dulan, by the way. Local archaeologist."

Mallory and Nosedive shook the duck's hand, even as both of them remained rather stunned over what Frank had told them.

Mallory finally found her voice and asked, "Can we see him?"

"Sure." Frank indicated behind him and all three began walking further into the village, Frank leading them. "Though I'm not sure if he'll like seeing you," Frank added while looking at Mallory.

Again Mallory was caught off guard; the idea that Wildwing wouldn't remember them, or worse, _fear_ them, was something that she simply couldn't imagine.

But she didn't want to take any chances.

"Nosedive," she said, stopping both him and the archaeologist in their path through the village. "Maybe you should go in alone, then. It doesn't sound like he's had any dreams about you…?" Mallory looked to Frank to verify her last statement and he nodded in response.

"He's mentioned other ducks, but he can't describe them. It's just the redhead in his dreams that he's unsure of."

Nosedive looked back to Mallory. "I'll go in first, but if he does have amnesia wouldn't seeing both of us maybe help jog his memory?"

"I'll go in, but only after you convince him I'm not the enemy. If he really can't remember who he is, I don't want to scare him so much that he refuses to come with us."

Nosedive nodded in understanding. He looked back to Frank. "All right, Frankie, lead the way."

"Don't call me Frankie."

"Sorry."

Frank shot Nosedive a less-than-bemused look but turned his attention back to Mallory. "You can wait in that hut over there." He pointed to signify the area he was talking about. "We'll come get you when he's ready."

Mallory acknowledged him but remained standing where she was as she watched the two male ducks continue further into the village.

They'd found him, that was all that mattered. He'd get his memories back.

Wouldn't he?


	2. Chapter 2

Nosedive felt like dragging his feet as they neared the area his brother was supposedly at. He wanted to see Wildwing and make sure he was okay, sure, but to have his only sibling not recognize him?

The thought terrified him.

En route Frank asked Nosedive about how Wildwing ended up here. When Nosedive mentioned Old Ways Worshippers, though, Frank went on a brief tirade over the horrible acts the traitors had been doing since the Invasion ended. Nosedive occasionally affirmed he was listening with one-worded responses, even though most of what Frank was going off about he hadn't been around to witness. Nosedive's mind eventually began to wander as they walked through the large settlement.

"Here we are," Frank said suddenly, causing Nosedive to jump a little. They were in front of a communal hut that looked more like a building than a hut made of logs and grass.

Unlike most of Puckworld, the weather in the southern hemisphere did manage to warm up for a few months, allowing the traditionalists to use wood and other natural products to build their homes. Elsewhere—where the weather was far colder and harsher—contemporary igloos were used, at least in the non-civilized areas.

"Shall we?" Frank asked again. Nosedive realized the archaeologist was looking at him expectantly.

The blonde duck swallowed and nodded. Frank opened the large wooden door and walked in, Nosedive following.

Inside the building appeared to be a mess hall, and various traditionalists were seated amongst long tables eating and conversing socially. Some looked up when they entered, but aside from a few waves to Frank they didn't seem to mind or care about Nosedive's presence.

Unlike some of the other cultures he and Mallory had come across, this one was much friendlier to outside folk.

Nosedive was glad for that, because if Wildwing was without memory and had been found by a hostile culture….

Frank walked towards the far end of the mess hall, Nosedive following. When they reached the other side there was a small staircase nearly hidden in the shadows. Frank went up them with Nosedive trailing.

_For a group that shunned technology, they sure know how to build_, Nosedive thought as the stairs zigzagged up to the second floor.

They ended up in a long hall with multiple doors lining each wall. Frank walked to the third one to the right and knocked lightly.

"Come in," a muffled voice responded.

Nosedive's voice caught in his throat when he realized it was his brother.

Frank opened the door and entered, leaving it open for Nosedive to follow.

The blonde duck took a step forward and faltered. He took a deep breath and made the next two steps into the doorway.

Wildwing was sitting on a small bed in traditionalist clothing—white robes—and was reading a book by candlelight. He had stopped when Frank entered, but looked curiously at Nosedive when he came into view.

"It looks like you were missed," Frank said, indicating Nosedive.

Wildwing stood up and appeared slightly tense as he looked back and forth at the two male ducks. "Are you sure he's … he's here with good intentions?"

Frank nodded. "They had some good proof to show for themselves, Perntis."

"Perntis?" Nosedive asked, confused.

"Oh, it's the name the traditionalists gave him when they found him. It means 'lost' in their language."

Wildwing put his book down on the same table the candle was on. He kept his eyes wearily on Nosedive. "You know who I am?"

Seeing his brother look at him was hard for Nosedive: Wildwing's eyes showed no familiarity, no love. It was like looking at a stranger.

"Yeah," Nosedive finally responded. "I'm Nosedive, and you're Wildwing Flashblade. You're my brother."

* * *

Mallory eventually made her way to the small tent Frank had told her to wait in. She used her COM to contact Tanya, Duke and Grin and let them know they'd found their missing leader, as well as his current condition. Tanya was insistent that the amnesia was only temporary and most likely the result of the misfired spell.

Mallory wasn't as optimistic.

They would contact the Council and let them know they'd found Wildwing before heading back to headquarters. Barring any tactical disasters Mallory had told them they'd be bringing Wildwing home tomorrow.

If he'd be willing to go with them, anyways.

After the call Mallory paced in the small tent, unable to sit down and rest. Frank's little abode was full of gadgets that would offend most traditionalists, but they seemed to accept his presence here well enough. A table in the far corner housed various objects that must've been dug up in the area: bone fragments, pottery, spear heads … this area was a treasure trove for archaeologists, that was for sure. Southern Puckworld was considered to be the home of mallard ancestors, not to mention where Drake DuCaine found the mask.

The reminder of the mask caused Mallory's hand to absently rest on the pouch attached to her utility belt. Wildwing hadn't been wearing the mask when they'd been attacked, and after his disappearance the team had unanimously nominated her as temporary captain.

It was a position she reluctantly took, and she steadfastly refused to wear the mask that now resided inside the pouch her hand was resting upon.

After their official announcement to the world the mask would be returned to the government for safe keeping. Until then, as far as Mallory was concerned, it only belonged to one duck:

Wildwing.

A female mallard suddenly entered the tent, startling both Mallory and the newcomer.

"I'm sorry! I didn't realize Frank had company."

Mallory shook her head. "He doesn't, really." The female mallard—a light brown-feathered traditionalist—looked at the redhead questioningly.

Mallory added, "My teammate and I are here for the duck you found a week ago."

"The lost one?" the traditionalist asked, tilting her head at Mallory. Her hair was nearly the same color as her feathers and was braided in the customary traditionalist fashion.

Mallory nodded in affirmation, her brow furrowing. Despite the duck's appearance the female just didn't seem like a traditionalist.

To further Mallory's suspicions the duck walked over to a nearby laptop and began typing away.

"I actually found him with a few villagers here while out hunting. He was unconscious then so I didn't get a chance to talk with him, but he definitely didn't seem like he was from around here." The female looked back up at Mallory and smiled. "I'm Danexis, by the way."

"Mallory," the redhead responded. "I'm sorry, but are you…?"

Danexis realized Mallory was looking questioningly at her and at the computer she was typing on. Her eyes widened and she grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I forget I'm wearing this stuff sometimes. I'm Frank's apprentice, and unlike him I'm learning the culture by being a part of it. He's too close-minded to give it a shot, I'm afraid."

"Ah," Mallory supplied, at least clearing that up. "You said you found Wildwing?"

Danexis turned back to the laptop. "Wildwing. Nice name. But yeah, we were out hunting for game when we found him in some bushes. By the time we got him back here the sorcerers here—er, doctors in our terms—took over and haven't really let anyone other than Frank see him." She finished typing on the computer and looked back up to Mallory. "How do you know him?"

Mallory looked away briefly. "I'm his lifemate."

A look of dawning came over Danexis and her expression became sympathetic. "I'm sorry, I know it must be hard with him missing his memories. You must be the redhead he dreams about, then."

"I thought you didn't talk to him?"

"Oh, I don't. But Frank's been filling me in on all the details like a gossip monger." Danexis closed the laptop lid and retrieved some files from one of the drawers in the table. "I don't mean to pry, but do you know what he means by beakless and featherless demons?"

Mallory breathed out a small laugh. "Yeah. They're aliens we came across when we chased Dragaunas through Dimensional Limbo."

Danexis frowned at Mallory, obviously confused. "Dragaunas? Dimensional Limbo?"

"We're members of the Strike Force. We returned home a few weeks ago."

Danexis' eyes widened. "So the rumors are true!" The brown-feathered duck frowned again. "How did Pernt—I mean Wildwing—end up here?"

"We got attacked by Old Ways Worshippers."

"They've been quite the nuisance in Metropolis, I heard. They're almost demonic from all the Old Ways magic they've used, too."

"Hmm," Mallory acknowledged the female but her mind was elsewhere. She glanced out the tent anxiously for the hundredth time that evening.

Danexis took her papers and headed toward the exit of the tent. "I'll leave you be. I know this won't mean much, but Frank said Wildwing talked quite a bit about you. That must mean something."

"He didn't even know if I was a friend or enemy," Mallory sighed, her pacing resuming.

"That was because in the dream you were sparring. He felt like it was for fun, but with all his other nightmares it was hard to be sure. But he knew you meant something to him, good or bad."

Mallory, for the first time since Wildwing went missing, genuinely smiled at Danexis. "I guess that's something, at least," she simply said.

Danexis smiled back, only lingering in the doorway for a moment longer before exiting quietly.

Maybe jogging Wildwing's memories wouldn't be too hard, after all.

It was a belief to cling to, at least.

* * *

When the tent flap opened again Nosedive came through. Mallory had resorted herself to sitting at the desk chair, one of her elbows resting on the table and her hand holding her head up. When she saw her brother-in-law she stood up anxiously.

Nosedive looked exhausted. "He doesn't remember anything," he stated quietly.

Mallory's hope faltered slightly. "Seeing you didn't help at all?"

Nosedive shook his head, walking up to Frank's cot and sitting on it dejectedly. "Nope. It's like on the outside, he's Wildwing, but on the inside … it's like talking to a stranger."

Both were quiet for a few moments, the reality of the situation sinking in even further. "But he's okay?" Mallory finally broke the silence.

"Yeah, physically he looks good. No bumps on the head so the amnesia's gotta be from that spell."

"Maybe there's a way to reverse it, then," Mallory countered, though her voice gave away her skepticism on the idea.

Nosedive rubbed his face tiredly. "Yeah, maybe." He looked up at the redhead, who still stood by the desk. "Frank's outside, he'll take you to him."

"What about his suspicions?"

Nosedive shrugged. "I don't think he really believed me when I told him I was his brother, but he didn't outright reject it either. I think deep down he felt it was the truth, but his defenses are up in case it's not. He agreed to meet with you, though."

"Did you tell him who I was?"

"Nah, I think it'll be better coming from you," Nosedive replied. "He's wearing his ring so he must know he's mated, but I think he was afraid to ask."

Mallory sighed, her hands wringing together anxiously. "What else did you tell him?"

"He asked about his nightmares mostly, so I told him about being in the Strike Force and going to Earth. Ironically he remembered the Invasion—he could remember being in prison there for a while. But even though I was with him during that time, he couldn't place me there."

"Selective amnesia."

Mallory and Nosedive looked up to see Frank standing in the tent's doorway. "It's pretty common with hits to the head because certain parts of your brain store certain memories. Not sure how it works with Old Ways magic spells, though."

Neither of the other two occupants in the room had an answer for him. Frank looked to Mallory and added, "Ready?"

She didn't answer but walked up to him, and together they made their way to where Wildwing was staying.

Even though she didn't know it, Mallory's feet dragged just as much as Nosedive's.


	3. Chapter 3

In the large building and up the stairs, Frank motioned toward the only open door along the long hallway. He stayed where he was as Mallory took a step towards the doorway and looked back.

"I'll be downstairs," Frank said quietly. Mallory silently acknowledged him and he disappeared down the steps, leaving the redhead alone in the hallway.

She took a deep, shaky breath and walked up to the doorway.

Wildwing looked anxious as he sat on the bed, obviously waiting for her arrival. He looked up quickly upon hearing her footsteps and stood up from where he'd been sitting on his bed.

A look of familiarity flashed across his eyes and Mallory's breath caught in her throat. But before she could say anything, he answered her unasked question.

"You're the one from my dreams," he stated, his voice slightly raspy.

Mallory's hope fell like a ton of lead bricks. Not knowing how to respond to his statement, she simply asked, "Can I come in?"

Wildwing realized she'd been standing in the doorway and quickly gestured to his bed. "Sure, sorry. Yeah, come in please."

Mallory stepped in, awkwardly sitting down on the bed and Wildwing following suit.

"Sorry I don't have chairs," Wildwing finally said, his voice laced with nervousness.

"It's okay," she lamely responded. Seeing her lifemate there made her want to embrace him and tell him how worried she'd been. But she knew better and held back, awkwardly fidgeting with her gloves. She looked up at him after seconds of silence and realized he was staring at her.

She couldn't resist asking, "Do I … do I look familiar to you?"

Wildwing, realizing he was staring, quickly looked down, embarrassed. "Aside from my dream, no … I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Mallory quickly replied. "Sorry, it was stupid of me to ask."

"I should know who you are," Wildwing said. "I wish I did."

"Well, I can answer any questions you might have, at least," Mallory offered in little more than a whisper.

"Nosedive—my brother—told me you were here with him and wanted to see me. Why didn't you come with him earlier?"

Mallory looked away, unable to keep eye contact with her lifemate for very long. Nosedive was right—it was like talking with a stranger. "Um, Frank told us you had dreamt of a redhead, and that you didn't know if you could trust her. We didn't want to scare you, I guess."

She looked back up at him and this time he looked away. "I see," he finally said. "Were you on the Strike Force too?"

"Yeah."

"So you went to Earth with us to fight Dragaunas?"

"Yes."

"What's your name?"

Wildwing anxiously turned the gold band on his left hand as he awaited her answer. Mallory realized by answering him he'd know exactly who she was because of the engraving on the inside of the ring. She faltered, unsure of how to proceed.

Wildwing saw her eyes drift to his ring and he stopped fidgeting.

Mallory looked up at him, back at the ground, and finally to her own hand. After a few more moments of silence she shakily pulled her glove off, showing him her own gold band with the small emerald jewel adorned to the top.

"I'm Mallory," she whispered.

Wildwing's eyes remained fixated on her ring. "You're … you're my lifemate."

Mallory, unable to respond, simply nodded. She stared at him as he stared at her hand.

"How can I not remember? How come I can't remember you?"

Mallory's quickly quelled her emotions, looking down at the ground to regain her composure. She cleared her throat and shook her head. "Nosedive … he told you how you got here?"

"Yeah. Old Ways Worshippers, whoever they are; they did it because we killed Dragaunas."

Finally getting her emotions in check Mallory looked back up at her lifemate. His eyes still remained on her hand.

"How long … how long have we been…?"

"Almost two years."

Wildwing sighed in frustration. "I just don't understand why I can remember things like the Invasion but not my brother and not my lifemate. I mean, how is that even possible?" He rubbed his face tiredly. "I didn't even remember my own name."

Mallory didn't know how to answer him. She wanted him to remember everything, but only that worshipper they'd caught could possibly help them reverse what had been done.

Mallory was sitting on the edge of the bed next to Wildwing, but she turned towards him now. "Do you believe us?"

Wildwing removed his hands from his face and looked at her. They locked eyes for the longest time that evening, neither saying anything. Wildwing finally looked away, back down to his hand with the gold band.

"I think so. As farfetched as the story sounds, it explains a lot about my dreams. And the ring … your ring…." Wildwing trailed off, glancing back at Mallory.

"Will you come back with us?" she asked, her voice soft.

Wildwing frowned. "Back? Back where?"

"To the government base in Metropolis."

"Metropolis? That's on the other side of the world!"

Mallory frowned at him. "I thought Nosedive told you how you got here?"

Wildwing shook his head. "He told me about the spell that sent me here, but he didn't say from where."

Mallory looked away this time. "Well, when we returned from Earth we told the Council. They kept us on the base while they prepared to tell the world about our return."

"The Strike Force: that's a big deal, right?"

Mallory nodded. "When we chased the Saurian Overlord—Dragaunas—into Dimensional Limbo, we essentially ended the war here. We're … well, we're heroes here."

Wildwing scoffed slightly, turning away from Mallory and staring at the ground. "I'm no hero."

Mallory let out a breathy laugh, tears slightly welling up in her eyes. Wildwing glanced at her when she laughed and did a double take when he thought she'd begun to cry. "Wait, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—I—"

Mallory, still slightly smiling, waved him off with one hand while she looked to the ceiling. "No, it's okay," she said. She took a few moments to control her emotions, Wildwing watching on apprehensively.

She took a deep breath, her bitter smile disappearing as she moved her gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry, it's just … that was something Wildwing would say, memories or no memories."

"Oh." Wildwing's nervous expression faded and he smiled a little. "I guess that's a good sign then, right?"

Mallory, her eyes still slightly glazed, forced a smile and nodded. She cleared her throat again. "So will you come with us?"

Wildwing looked away as he thought over her question. He glanced down at his hand again, his thumb twirling the ring on his finger. "Okay," he finally answered.

Mallory let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Her smile was genuine this time. "Okay," she agreed.

Both fell into silence again.

"How long have I been gone?" Wildwing asked, breaking the quiet.

"Eight days."

"How'd you find me?"

"When you disappeared we waited to hear from you. After two days we convinced the Council to let us search. We figured that since we hadn't heard from you that meant you were somewhere where you couldn't communicate.

"So we figured to start searching in traditionalist cultures, since they don't like technology. We split up, three going north and Nosedive and I going south."

Wildwing looked back up at her. "I guess you weren't expecting the amnesia then."

Mallory shook her head. "I know this is a lot to take in."

"Yeah, it is."

They were quiet again, the silence still awkward and uneasy. Mallory stood up suddenly, Wildwing gazing up at her.

"I should go," she said.

"Wait, I didn't mean you had to leave," Wildwing hurriedly explained, standing up with her.

"I know you didn't."

"Don't go."

Mallory stopped in the doorway, turning back to look at him. "You want me to stay?" she asked uncertainly.

"Just a little while longer. Please," Wildwing insisted.

"But … why?"

Wildwing sighed. "I don't know. I know it's stupid, but you being here … it's like it feels right, but I don't know why. I'm so confused about everything, but I know it's hard for you and Nosedive, too. Just … please stay."

Mallory stayed in the doorway for a few seconds, but eventually walked back to the bed and sat down. Wildwing sat down with her.

"Thanks," he added.

She nodded. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Wildwing smiled a little. "When Nosedive was here he told me a couple stories of us growing up, hoping to jog my memory. Maybe you can tell me a little bit about us."

"What would you like to know?"

"Well, we met on the Strike Force, right?"

Mallory nodded.

"And then we went to Earth?" Mallory nodded again in response. "So during our stay on Earth we grew close and became lifemates?"

Mallory smiled. "Pretty much," she affirmed.

"Isn't that against the rules?"

"We kept it secret for a while. You weren't afraid to tell the others as much as I was, though."

"Why not? Wouldn't the captain have objected to it?"

Mallory's smile wavered as she realized the key bit of information they'd left out. "Wildwing, _you_ were the team captain."

Wildwing looked at her incredulously. "I was the leader? Come on."

Mallory didn't respond.

Realizing she was serious, Wildwing shook his head in disbelief. "I can't lead a team. Nosedive said my best friend—Canard—that he brought the Strike Force together."

"He did."

"Then how did I become leader?"

Mallory hesitated, unsure of whether this topic of conversation would be wise. "He … sacrificed himself in Dimensional Limbo to save us, and gave you command."

"He … died?"

Mallory looked away. "He was taken by an electromagnetic worm, so we think he was teleported somewhere."

Wildwing became subdued as he thought over what Mallory told him. "He was my best friend," he said, though not in an emotional way.

It was like he was simply stating the facts.

"It was hard for you," Mallory agreed gently.

"He never came to Earth with us, then?"

"No, it was just six of us."

He was quiet again, his brow furrowed as he thought. His eyes remained fixated on the wall across from them but he was clearly looking through it, lost in thought. He sighed after a bit, uttering, "I just don't understand … I don't feel like I could've taken his place very easily."

"You didn't, Wildwing. Being a leader was a challenge you never felt qualified for, and at one point you left the team because you felt like you were letting us down. But I guarantee you none of the rest of us could lead like you did, not even Canard. You never believed in yourself, but the rest of us did."

"You're biased, though."

Mallory raised her eyebrows at him. "I'm certainly not."

"But you're my lifemate."

"I wasn't when you became leader. We didn't even start seeing each other until almost six months after we arrived on Earth."

"Were we sparring?"

Mallory tilted her head incredulously at him, the random question throwing her off-guard. "What?"

"When we … got together. Was there sparring involved?"

Mallory thought back to that moment, trying to remember the evening that they became more than teammates. "I think I might've been. Why do you ask?"

"That's what my dream is about with you. We're fighting, but it looks like it's for fun. Like we're practicing together or something."

Mallory frowned as she thought about it. "Well, that night you visited me while I was working out. You were seeing if I wanted to take a walk … _but_, you're right. I convinced you to do a little one-on-one before we left, to see if you could block a new move I'd been working on."

"Did I?"

"The first one I got you on your back. But—like a goalie—you caught on fast and blocked every move after that. I was so annoyed, too: I had worked all week on that stupid move."

Wildwing grinned at her. "I'm sure you were just being easy on me."

This time Mallory scoffed. "I wish."

"So for some reason my mind wants me to remember that night," Wildwing thoughtfully stated out loud.

Mallory reddened a little bit under the feathers; it was like discussing her personal life with a complete stranger. Nonetheless, she replied, "Well, that night changed everything between us."

"I wish I could remember it."

Mallory's cheeks reddened even more as she stared at the floor. "You will," she assured.

Wildwing didn't seem to realize how intimate the conversation had gone and simply stared at the wall in front of him as he spoke. "It's good to hear the stories from you and Nosedive, but it's so frustrating to feel like these are experiences that I should be able to talk about, too." Wildwing glanced over to Mallory, his facial expression almost becoming fearful. "What if I don't get back my memories?"

Mallory stared at him, unable to answer right away. The thought was something that'd been blazing through her mind since she found out about his amnesia. Everything that they'd experienced together—their time on Earth, their bonding—all of it would be gone.

Nosedive would no longer have a brother and Mallory would no longer have a lifemate.

"They'll come back, Wildwing."

"But you don't _know_ that. I just … I know that this is hard to deal with, but you're okay with it because you believe I'll get better and wake up and remember everything." Wildwing turned to her, his back straightening up and his hands clenching into fists out of nervousness. "But what if, who I am now, is all there is anymore?"

Mallory was quiet as they looked at each other, fear lacing her own facial expression. She eventually took a deep breath and quietly voiced, "Then we take it one step at a time."

"I can't expect you to start from scratch, Mallory."

"I would."

Wildwing was quiet then as he watched her. "You shouldn't," he finally argued.

Mallory glanced to the ground, her anger beginning to rise. "Well, that's not your decision to make. Would it be difficult? Yes. But you're still Wildwing, whether or not you know it yet. And I love you."

The last three words caught Wildwing unprepared. His breath hitched as he realized it was something he most likely had said a thousand times to the female mallard next to him.

But now … now it was the first time, and he simply wasn't ready.

Mallory didn't seem to expect him to be, however. She stood up again, this time Wildwing not stopping her. "You'll get your memories back, Wildwing. And if you don't, Nosedive and I and the rest of our team will still be there for you. Unless you didn't want to be a part of our lives anymore, we'll always be there for you. It's as simple as that.

"I'm going to go, but we'll be leaving tomorrow. Get some rest, okay?"

Mallory walked to the door as Wildwing watched her. When she looked questioningly at him he nodded to her, affirming her request. She gave a brief, forced smile to him before disappearing down the hall.

With her gone Wildwing looked down at his ring and silently mouthed the words, "I love you."

How could three simple words feel like the truth and a lie at the same time?


	4. Chapter 4

Mallory walked down the hall and halfway down the stairs before she had to lean against the wall. Her legs were shaky and her breath ragged, and she ended up sliding down to sit on one of the steps.

No matter how bad the situation is, sometimes even your body is in denial until the end. Her mind had been an assembly of "What if?"s since Wildwing had gone missing, but she still found the ability to search and scour a better part of Puckworld in hopes of finding him.

And when she learned of his amnesia, her thoughts sank into the deepest recesses of worst-case scenarios, but her body still held on.

Now, however, it had been exhausted of all its resources. Her feet no longer could carry her weight, her arms felt like limp pasta, and her chest constricted her breathing so harshly she felt like she was suffocating.

No sound came out of her, nor did any tears fall. Mallory's body had literally shut down.

She took deep breaths—the best that she could manage, anyway—and tried her hardest to regain control. All they had to do was get Wildwing back to Metropolis and get that traitor to undo the spell. He'd regain his memories, then, and she'd have her lifemate back. Nosedive would have his brother, and the team would have their leader.

And maybe if she kept telling herself that she'd eventually believe it.

She rubbed her face tiredly with her free hand, the other still clinging to the guard rail attached to the wall. She took some more deep breaths.

"It'll be okay," she whispered to herself. "He'll be okay."

After about thirty seconds she finally felt the strength to stand. She pushed some hair out of her face and smoothed her clothes, regaining what dignity she still had. Her left hand was still uncovered, her glove for it inside her fist.

As she went to put it back on, she couldn't stop herself from admiring the ring and its meaning.

It signified so much more, now. The duck she left in that room was not her lifemate—not completely. The ring was simply a reminder of the short time they'd had together, and a cruel indicator of the possibility of never having it again.

She wanted a different life: one with Wildwing and the rest of her teammates. She didn't want to be on the front lines anymore—she'd seen enough bloodshed to last her a lifetime.

The possibility of a family had even arisen in her mind since they made it back home. It was a terrifying possibility, yes, but one she had been forced to mull over recently.

All of it didn't matter anymore, not if her lifemate was gone.

And in almost every essence of the term, he was.

Mallory pushed her thoughts aside, slipped on the glove, shakily stood up and walked the rest of the way downstairs. Tomorrow was another day, and she'd be damned if she didn't keep optimistic, at least until they'd gotten more information from that worshipper.

It was her last shred of hope.

* * *

Wildwing heard Mallory walk through the hallway and down the stairs, the creaky wood flooring giving her away.

He wanted to go after her and apologize, but he wasn't quite sure what he'd be apologizing for.

It was weird, not feeling connected to ducks that were so obviously connected to you. It made you feel guilty, even though you'd done nothing wrong.

It sucked.

He got up and walked to the hallway, not quite sure if he was going to stop her as much as watch her walk away. Even not knowing her the way he was suppose to, he felt a connection with her since the moment he saw her.

It made him wonder how in love they'd been before the incident.

From the hallway he could see a large portion of the stairs, so he was able to stop a good distance away when he saw her familiar form seated halfway down. Her right hand was still holding onto the railing, but her left hand had a death grip on the edge of the stair she sat on, tensing and loosening as she breathed heavily and shakily.

He couldn't even imagine what being in her or Nosedive's shoes felt like. They'd lost someone close to them only to find him and realize that they'd lost him again, just not in a way they could imagine.

There was nothing he could say or do to make any of them feel better about the situation. He could trust them completely and try to be the lifemate and brother they knew, but in the end he'd only be lying to them and himself.

He liked Nosedive, and he was infatuated with Mallory. It was apparent that he had a connection with each of them, even if they were lying about who they were.

Mallory sniffed a little, causing Wildwing to involuntarily take a step back, out of eyeshot. He was nervous but willing to go with them tomorrow, even though this village felt like the only home he'd ever known.

He could not remember his childhood, but Puckworld's geography was familiar to him. He couldn't remember Nosedive, but he could remember struggling for almost a year in the enslavement camps nearby Metropolis, during the Invasion.

And he didn't know anything about Lord Dragaunas, Overlord of the Saurian Race—but yet he and the Strike Force chased him out of Puckworld, ended the war, and saved the world.

Wildwing heard wood creak and footsteps descending, causing him to risk a glance beyond the wall he was hiding behind.

Mallory had retreated down the rest of the stairs, most likely returning to Frank and wherever Nosedive had gone. He only briefly saw the top of her head before she disappeared around a corner and was out of sight.

He sighed, returning quietly to his room and shutting the door. Sitting back down on his bed he picked up the book he'd been reading, which Frank had loaned him: _Through Their Eyes: Before and After the Saurian Invasion_.

It was simply a collection of short stories, inspired by the real-life tales of ducks from every aspect of the War you could imagine. In the beginning it had helped him remember his own stint in the camps, and the further he read the more detailed those memories became.

Perhaps seeing the rest of his Strike Force teammates, as well as spending more time with Mallory and Nosedive, would help him remember the Wildwing he was supposed to be.

Satisfied with that feeble amount of hope, Wildwing sat back on his bed and opened the book to his marked page, continuing his reading by candlelight.

* * *

"Wildwing, it's been a pleasure," Frank said to the tall white duck, holding his hand out.

Wildwing shook it, smiling at the archaeologist. "Thanks for everything," he sincerely responded.

Danexis, who stood nearby, turned to Mallory and Nosedive. "I do hope you'll keep in touch?"

Nosedive raised his eyebrows slightly but Mallory smiled politely and nodded. "Of course," she answered.

"I know you're famous and all, but we would love to hear about Wildwing's progress, at least."

Mallory's smile became a bit more genuine as she smiled again. "We'll make sure to keep you updated."

Danexis, seemingly satisfied, turned to Frank as he approached the three.

"I'm sure Danexis has already told you to keep in touch—she's a bit nosy that way."

"Frankie!" Danexis whined, though she grinned nonetheless.

"Thank you for taking care of him," Mallory said wholeheartedly. "He was lucky to have ended up here."

"Eh, all in a day's work," Frank waved off her thanks. "I'm just glad to know he's got good ducks to take care of him in the meantime."

"I'm not completely despondent, you know," Wildwing lightheartedly responded, also walking up to the group. Wildwing handed him back the book he had borrowed. "It was a great read," he added.

Frank pushed the book back to him. "Keep it. Think of it as a, 'Welcome Home' gift, even though you don't really know where that is yet."

Wildwing let out a breathy laugh, taking the book back and nodding to his friend.

"Ready bro—I mean Wildwing?" Nosedive asked, his hands on his hips.

"As I'll ever be, I guess."

The three headed back to the government ship, Wildwing turning back to look at Danexis and Frank one last time. Traditionalists had also gathered behind them, waving to Wildwing as he boarded the ship. He waved back before taking a deep breath and heading inside.

For Mallory and Nosedive, the adventure had ended. For Wildwing, it had just begun.


	5. Chapter 5

Wildwing watched with growing apprehension as Mallory and Nosedive walked away with a couple of the head Council members, leaving him alone with the other members of the Strike Force team.

The trip back had been relatively uneventful. Both Mallory and Nosedive kept their conversation with him to a minimum, only talking about inconsequential topics unless Wildwing asked something of them.

And truth be told, Wildwing didn't have much he wanted to ask them.

Well, that was a lie. He had dozens of questions, but he was simply too afraid to ask them. Each time he brought up something, they'd answer, but at the same time they'd be reminded that Wildwing should've known the answer to that already. They smiled nonetheless, even as the pain was apparent in their eyes, and would ask him if he had any more questions.

It was a vicious circle that Wildwing was too exhausted to travel.

So, after a six hour journey home with easy conversation, the base camp was another experience altogether: between the group of military officers and Council members swarming over them, the other members of the Strike Force came up and introduced themselves, each one with their own expression of sympathy for him.

All of the team was hurried into a building, safe from prying eyes and outside attacks. After the incident with the Old Ways Worshippers infiltrating the camp, security had been on high alert.

Inside the safety of four very solid walls, a few Council members ushered Mallory and Nosedive away to discuss Wildwing's condition. He was slightly offended to not be asked himself, but realized soon after that—aside from his so-called brother and lifemate—no one really knew the extent of his amnesia.

That included the ducks standing in front of him now. All three of them looked rather uncomfortable there, and slightly anxious.

"How was da trip?" Duke asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh, it was good. Pretty uneventful," Wildwing answered. Duke nodded but remained quiet.

Then Tanya spoke up: "How are you feeling? Any, y'know, other side effects from the spell?"

Wildwing shook his head. "Nah, not really. The first day I woke up in De Prue it was pretty tough, but once they got me out of the elements and fed me I was good. Well, other than not remembering anything, anyway."

"Right," Tanya agreed. The silence afterwards was awkward and Wildwing looked over to Mallory and Nosedive, wishing they'd return soon.

"Wing?"

It took Wildwing longer than it should have to remember that was his name and turn his attention to Duke.

"We're glad yer back, even if yer not quite yerself yet."

Wildwing smiled at him. "Thanks. Hopefully I'll be back to myself sooner than later."

Across the room Mallory and Nosedive began heading back to the group. Wildwing let out a small breath of relief and smiled at them.

"So I guess we're staying here?" Nosedive asked upon reaching the team.

"Looks like it. When we returned yes'erday they'd already moved our belongin's over here," Duke answered him. "I guess dey don't like da idea o' us in a house by ourselves, not wit' those Worshippers aroun'."

Mallory sighed. "The one they caught got moved to another facility, too. We'll have to wait for them to transport him back."

"Why'd they move him?" Tanya asked.

"They said they didn't have the capability to hold him here. They have specialized cells in Dupontama that apparently block magic. Something they picked up from the remnants of Saurian Raptors after the war."

"How long is it going to take to bring him back here?"

"Tonight, hopefully."

Grin walked up to Wildwing and laid a hand on his shoulder, startling him slightly. "My friend, are you willing to search for your lost roads?"

Wildwing, along with most of the other teammates, frowned at the large gray duck.

"Say wha?" Nosedive finally spoke up.

"The path to remembrance can sometimes be long and tedious, but with strong thoughts and meditation it can be done."

"You … want me to meditate?" Wildwing asked, slightly unsure.

Grin nodded. "It is worth a try, like many challenges in life."

"That's not a bad idea," Tanya said, causing all eyes to shift to her. "I mean, maybe it'll help dissolve the spell's—you know—control on you."

Wildwing was silent as he thought about it, but one look at Nosedive and Mallory's hopeful faces settled his mind. "Sure, why not."

* * *

Mallory and Wildwing walked silently across the 6th floor of the large building. The government had moved the team's belongings from the large house they'd been staying at into the small motel rooms meant usually for visitors of the base camp. Most of the ducks' belongings were still in the Aerowing, so aside from clothes, toiletries, and some keepsakes there wasn't much to move.

However, since Wildwing and Mallory had been sharing a room in the house, all of their belongings had been grouped into one motel room.

Mallory used the pass code she'd been given and punched it into the keypad next to their assigned room. With a green light and beep the door hissed open, giving the two ducks access to enter.

Wildwing was carrying robes Grin had given him from his own room, to wear during his meditation exercise. The robes were similar to what the traditionalists wore back at the village he'd been found, which in some odd way comforted him. As they entered the room he carefully placed the clothes on the foot of the bed.

"I'm just going to grab a few things to shower and change," Mallory said quietly, walking to the dresser and searching the drawers. "Tanya said I can use her shower, so you can use the one here."

Wildwing nodded, standing uncomfortably at the foot of the bed as he watched her rummage through the drawers, trying to find where the government had put her things.

On top of the dresser were various knickknacks that caught Wildwing's attention. When Mallory had gathered what she wanted from the drawers and moved to the closest, Wildwing went over to them and inspected them.

There were a couple pucks with signatures on them, some books, a few figurines that looked expensive, and a photo album. Wildwing glanced at Mallory, whose back was to him as she sifted through the clothes hanging in the closet. He looked back at the album and opened it.

One of the first pictures he saw was of the featherless and beakless creatures he'd seen in his dream. _Humans_, he reminded himself from his talks with Mallory and Nosedive. It was a small one—probably a child—and he stood next to Mallory, his arm draped around her neck as she kneeled next to him. Both were smiling.

Wildwing turned the page and saw other humans with the Strike Force members. Two colorful ones stood with Nosedive, an older one stood with Tanya, and Wildwing noticed himself standing with a rather short human wearing a badge. As he turned the page again he saw pictures of what must've been Earth, with lots of humans in the background. Clippings from what looked like books had stories about the "Mighty Ducks," along with pictures of them in hockey gear. There were more pictures of all of them together with humans also dressed in hockey gear, and a picture of the team with one rather obese-looking human.

As he continued to turn the pages he noticed that the photographs became more personal. He saw himself and Nosedive together; Nosedive and Grin in suits and sunglasses; Duke and Tanya together in an embrace; and himself and Mallory in similar poses.

Some of the pictures looked like they were from events: a group of photos was done outside where it was dry and sunny; another group of photos looked almost like Puckworld with all the ice and snow, except many of them had humans in the background, suggesting otherwise.

One picture in particular caught his eye. It was him and Mallory, decked out in snow attire, looking at each other. From the appearance of the picture it didn't look like they realized they were being photographed. Wildwing had one hand up, tenderly brushing Mallory's cheek. She was looking up at him, her beak slightly agape, like she was talking. Her head tilted into his hand.

"That was Big Bear Mountain, on Earth," Mallory softly murmured, standing to his side.

Her sudden presence startled him and Wildwing realized he'd spaced out while going through the pictures. He cleared his throat a little, his hand still resting on the photograph through its plastic sleeve.

"Where we were there wasn't a lot of snow, except higher up in the mountains. The team liked to go there every once in a while. Helped with homesickness a lot," Mallory added when Wildwing didn't respond.

"They're … nice pictures," Wildwing finally muttered, his voice gruff with emotion.

"I—I have most of what I need, so I'm going to head over to Tanya and Duke's room," Mallory quickly changed the subject. "I'll meet you downstairs, okay?"

Wildwing, with his eyes still on the photo album, weakly nodded.

Mallory shifted the small duffle bag on her shoulder containing her things and walked to the door.

Wildwing looked up at her retreating form, opened his beak to say something, but stopped. When she opened the door she briefly turned to look at him.

Their eyes locked for a few seconds before she looked down and left the room, the door softly hissing shut behind her.

Wildwing looked back down at the photo album, at the strangers and himself, and sighed.

* * *

Mallory and Nosedive watched from a distance in the temple as Grin and Wildwing sat cross-legged and facing each other. They were on a podium in front of a large statue depicting a female duck—a goddess—known as the Birth of Peace.

The temple was on the base, which made it easy to convince the Council to let them come here. Nonetheless, they had two military personnel stationed out front, and Mallory and Nosedive opted to wear their battle gear as a precaution.

The temple itself was beautiful, and not meant for large crowds. The creed was similar to Buddhism on Earth, except it wasn't really a religion, per say.

It was a way of life.

Meditation allowed for the control of an individual's body and wellbeing, and many believed by following the practice they'd hone the ability to strengthen their physical and mental capabilities beyond the common capacity.

If Grin was any indication, it certainly seemed possible.

Mallory kept a hand on her holstered pucklauncher, watching the two across the temple before turning her attention to outside. A snowstorm was making its way through the city tonight, and Mallory wasn't keen on being caught in it as they made their way back to headquarters.

Even if it was only a couple blocks away.

"On edge there, girly?" Nosedive asked, eyeing her twitchy hand.

Mallory sighed. "After getting jumped last week who wouldn't be?"

"Touché," Nosedive replied. He turned his attention to Grin and Wildwing. Both had closed their eyes, their hands on their respective knees. Grin appeared to be speaking softly, but his voice did not travel far enough for them to hear.

"You think it'll work at all?" Mallory asked.

Nosedive took a deep breath and shrugged. "It can't hurt, that's for sure."

"The prisoner is supposed to arrive tonight," Mallory conveyed. "He should be able to reverse the spell, if we can get him to cooperate."

Nosedive frowned a bit. "Mal, how do we know that's what he'll do?" When Mallory tilted her head at him questioningly he added, "I mean, what if he uses a spell to kill him or something? Do we have anyone that even _knows_ Old Ways magic that _isn't_ a psychopath?"

Mallory was quiet, unable to form a response right away. She turned her attention to Grin and Wildwing as she thought. "I … I don't know. I'm sure the Council knows something about it, enough to know whether they were casting the spell they were meant to…." But even as Mallory said it she realized the absurdity of the idea, causing her to growl in frustration. "What are we supposed to do then, Dive?"

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger girly! I want my brother back as bad as you do!" Nosedive held his hands up in mock surrender. Both noticed Grin shooting a glare in their direction and instantly quieted. "I'm not one to be pessimistic, but I don't really want to put Wing in front of some nut that'll vaporize him while we watch on," Nosedive whispered his next statement.

Mallory rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I know, Dive. I just … I just thought we were done with all this."

This time Nosedive gave her a questioning tilt of the head. "Done with what?"

"With all of this. We killed Dragaunas, we completed our mission and risked our necks a dozen times over on Earth. I just thought that if we ever got back to Puckworld—and that the war here had truly ended—we'd be done."

Nosedive smirked at her. "And here I thought the military girl was itching to get back saving the world."

Mallory scoffed slightly and shook her head. "I lost most of my family to this war, and frankly I'm not willing to lose my new one."

Nosedive's smile became more genuine at that statement and he patted her on the shoulder. "Well, we aren't going anywhere—not willingly, anyway."

Mallory returned his smile but it faltered as she looked back to Wildwing. "Not willingly, no."

They watched the two meditating in silence after that, each lost in their own thoughts.


	6. Chapter 6

"Focus on memories, my friend," Grin said quietly, his voice almost in a whisper. Wildwing followed his orders, keeping his eyes closed and his breathing deep and slow.

Grin and Wildwing were in what Grin called the fifth level of consciousness: they were awake, but had meditated themselves into a deep rest, receding into the depths of their respective minds. Wildwing could hear Grin speak to him out loud, but his voice sounded far away. It was almost as if he stood on a cliff above him.

"All I remember is this week, though," Wildwing finally said, realizing he could only recall waking up in the traditionalist's village.

"Do you remember the war?"

"Yes," Wildwing said after a moment of hesitating. His conversation with Nosedive yesterday came to mind, and flashes of the Invasion danced across his vision.

"Where are you?"

Wildwing breathed in, thinking. "Slave camp, working in the mines."

"Who is with you?"

"I—I don't know. I just remember working there. Everything else is foggy."

"What about childhood?"

Wildwing sighed a little, his brows furrowing as he thought. "I remember … events. Ice skating by myself the first time … playing goalie in a little league hockey team … working on my first science project…."

"Is anyone with you?"

"No … well, yes, I think. I know there's someone there, but the picture of them is all blurry. It's like their names are on the tip of my tongue." Wildwing growled a little in frustration: every time he tried to focus on the other ducks in his past, his mind would shift to a different memory, stifling his progress.

"Breathe, my friend. Calm your nerves."

Wildwing sighed again but did as he was told, relaxing his body and face while breathing in deeply. In and out, in … and out, in … and … out….

"Let's pick a scene."

"From my childhood?"

"Wherever you feel the memory is strongest."

"…Okay. When in the slave camps, I remember mining all day and coming back to the cells, but sneaking out later to steal food from the nearby Raptor. I don't know how I got out, though."

"Good. Now imagine your mind like a tunnel, and at the end of that tunnel is the parts of the memory that you remember."

Grin was quiet as Wildwing tried his best to conjure the imagery in his head.

"Walk down that tunnel," Grin spoke up again. "As you do, search its walls for cracks. Missing pieces of information hidden within your mind."

Wildwing placed his subconscious in that long dark hallway, with the memory of that day barely visible at the end. He slowly began walking towards it, his illusory hands feeling along the walls he had made.

It was dark except for the lights coming from his memory at the end of the tunnel. He couldn't see his own beak in front of him, much less his hands moving along the contours of what felt more like a cave than a wall.

"Search for what was taken away from you," Grin softly said.

Wildwing felt almost detached from his body now, his ethereal form gaining strength as it continued to make its way down the long passageway. His hands continued to grope, searching the cavity for cracks.

Just when he felt his frustration kicking in, a small gap to his right caught his attention.

"I found one," Wildwing said out loud. His imaginary form turned toward the crack and his other hand came up to it, trying to find its width in the dark.

"Peer inside," Grin instructed. "What do you see?"

Wildwing's subconscious did as he was told, blindly bringing his face toward the crack he could not see but feel. He turned his head so his eye could peer inside.

"It's—it's my cell in the prison camp."

"Who's there?"

"Lots of ducks. I … I shared the cell with many other prisoners, I remember now."

"Anyone familiar to you?"

Wildwing frowned as he looked at them within his mind. "We're all huddled around someone. I can't tell who they are, they're still fuzzy. But they're holding an electronic key—the key that opened the cell!"

"Continue walking, my friend, until you find another break in the wall."

Wildwing, in his mind, backed away from the crevice and slowly continued his walk down the tunnel. His arms were spread wide as he felt the walls, his searching more deliberate now that he had a taste of his lost memories.

Sure enough, not too much farther up he felt another gap, this time on the other side of the wall. He quickly peered inside.

"It's the Raptor, where we stole some of the Saurians' food!"

"Who is with you?"

"An older guy … Zeke! I remember his name now, Zeke!"

"Is he the one that was all blurry before?"

Wildwing frowned. "No … no. They're here too, though. I know they're here, but I can't see them. I'm feeling anxious, because I know we don't have much time before the guards return to this area."

"So you, Zeke, and the one that had the cell key are there?"

"Yes."

"Search for the one with the key."

Wildwing, peering into one of his own memories, tried to take control of his past self and look around. He was carrying a lot of boxes of packaged food, making his visibility rather minimum. "I can't see him," he said despondently.

"It's okay. Keep walking."

Wildwing continued on his search, the memory he did remember becoming visibly larger and larger the closer he got to it. His hand came across another gap—a significant one.

"This is it," he said to Grin, his voice shaky.

"What is?"

"I know this one will show me who is the duck with key. I feel it."

"Are you afraid?" Grin asked.

"I know I shouldn't be, but … but what if I have to do this with every memory I have? There are so many memories I have where I know I should know the duck, but all they are is this hazy silhouette."

"By bringing someone back into your past, my friend, you will unlock many doors. Their presence in one memory will remind you of their presence in others."

"You think so?"

"Peer in and see for yourself."

Wildwing took a deep breath, his inner self slowly finding the widest section of the hole with his hands before squinting through it.

"It's the cell again. We're back with the food, and we're sorting it out. Zeke is carefully running it to other cells along the block, coming back and grabbing more. I'm sorting it with—with—he's still blurry. No, wait, he isn't, because I know it's a he. He's next to me, helping me sort. The other prisoners are eating some of the food we'd given them, smiling and patting us on the backs.

"He's smiling too, now. How do I know he's smiling? He—he has blonde hair. Nosedive. It's Nosedive, my brother!"

"He was the one with the key?"

Memories came flooding back to Wildwing, making his breathing shallow and quick from the surge of adrenaline. "One of the guards dropped it when we were in the mining camps; I remember now. He snagged it before the stupid thug even noticed it was gone. They'd been skimping us on meals for a few weeks by that point, so we knew we needed to get food to prisoners. He used it to open the cell late at night, and we snuck in and grabbed as much as we could. We made plans to perform a mass escape once everyone got their strength up, but we never got to follow through ... they had changed the program on all the locks before we even had the chance."

By now Wildwing's breath was as if he'd run a marathon. His grin surfaced to the real Wildwing, even through his deep state of meditation.

"Is your memory complete then?"

"Yes, more than ever! Nosedive _is_ my brother, he was there with me in the camps. I can't believe I ever forgot him!"

"What about after the war, when you joined Canard?"

Wildwing was excited from the wave of memories taking over, his words becoming quick and energized: "Canard, my best friend! Of course I remember him! I met him in grade school, and he had one of the best puck shots around. He was in his third year at Puckworld Academy when the Invasion began … he was with us, but we got separated when Dive and I tried to get back to our parents … my parents … by the stars, how did I ever forget them?"

"Wildwing, what about the Strike Force?"

Wildwing quieted down as he searched his newfound past. "I … I remember being in the camps with Dive, and I remember Canard before the war, but … but I don't remember ever getting out of the war."

"You don't remember when Canard found you and Nosedive?"

"He found us again?"

"What's the most recent memory you remember of the camps and the war?"

"I just remember … I think it was a little under a year that'd we'd been there, and they'd completely mined all the Belerium crystals that they could out of the area. They lined us up and began marching us through downtown, bringing us to another location I think. That's all I remember."

"Any blurry parts there? Think hard, Wildwing."

"No … nothing. It's not blurry—it's like that's where I should be right now, walking down the street with Dive. Like that moment in time is the present, not the past." Wildwing's voice sunk with his attitude, realizing he had only managed to recover some of his memories.

And unlike the ones he had, he had no tidbits of history to search or cracks in the wall to peer through. Thinking about that last memory, it was as if life just _stopped_ there.

"What about the Strike Force members? Do you remember Mallory, myself, Duke or Tanya?"

Wildwing shook his head slowly. "No … I don't remember being a part of the Strike Force, or going to Earth like you said I did. I can't even remember events like I did with my childhood memories, or see blurry images of ducks that are supposed to be a part of it. Why is that?"

"The Old Ways Worshipper's spell must have targeted your short term memory. It clouded your long term memory as well, but it seems to only have lasting effect on the most recent events in your life."

Wildwing sighed, realizing that—while he had regained his brother—he had not regained his lifemate. She was still a stranger to him.

"You've made great progress, Wildwing," Grin added when Wildwing didn't respond.

"Thank you, for helping me remember Dive," Wildwing finally said.

"Let us awaken completely now, just like I taught you," Grin said, returning to the task at hand.

Wildwing nodded, using his training to slowly awaken himself and end his meditative state.

* * *

"Jeez, what are they doing, counting sheep?" Nosedive complained, watching Grin and Wildwing from afar. For nearly an hour and a half they'd remain perfectly still, cross-legged and facing one another, eyes closed and hands resting on their respective knees.

You could see them speaking to each other quietly, but aside from that they remained perfectly still.

"Dive, let them be," Mallory chastised, though her voice had no edge to it. She currently sat on a nearby bench, one of her legs drawn up under her and her back leaning heavily against the wall.

She had a good view of a window to peer out of the front of the building, and kept her gaze fixated on the guards and the general area that she could see. The storm she had mentioned earlier had darkened the skies, but only a small amount of snow had begun falling.

Nosedive looked at her but decided not to push it. He sighed again and slid down a nearby wall to the floor. "This better work," he grumbled after a couple more minutes of silence.

Clapping startled both of them, causing them to sit up and finger their holstered weapons out of instinct. When they looked over at the two at the front of the temple they realized it had been them who clapped, as now they were alert and beginning to stand.

Nosedive and Mallory also stood, watching the two anxiously. Grin placed a hand on Wildwing's shoulder, stopping his advancement toward them, and leaned down to whisper something to him.

Wildwing listened, glancing only once at Nosedive and Mallory before turning back to look at Grin. When the large gray duck was done speaking, Wildwing reluctantly nodded.

"You two gonna let us join the party?" Nosedive called over, his impatience getting the best of him.

Wildwing stayed where he was, but Grin walked over to the two of them. His face, like most of the time, was unreadable.

"Well?" Nosedive prompted. "How'd it go?"

Grin looked at both of them and Mallory—for the first time in her years of knowing Grin—recognized hesitancy in his expression as he glanced at her.

"We were able to return some of his memories," Grin began.

"Yes! Does he remember us?" Nosedive asked excitedly, cutting Grin off.

"He remembers up to the end of the war, before he joined the Strike Force."

Both Mallory and Nosedive were silent as they digested that information.

"Wait … he remembers everything _but_ the Strike Force?" Mallory asked, her voice quiet but confused. "How is that possible?"

"It is likely the spell targeted his short term memory. The shock of his travel to another part of the world most likely caused full amnesia. But even then he still could remember small parts of his childhood, and ducks that were important to him were just blurred out. It took some time, but the meditation helped bring that back."

"Why can't it bring back the Strike Force too, then?" Nosedive asked, sounding as confused as Mallory.

"To him, his past ends when he's still a prisoner in the war. He remembers you, Nosedive, and Canard, but only from before the war. He doesn't remember Canard finding you, nor his involvement in the Strike Force. If the spell was directed on his short term memory, I am unsure whether meditation will unblock the Old Ways magic."

Mallory and Nosedive were quiet again, Mallory keeping her eyes steadfast on the ground.

She took a deep breath and looked up, realizing both Grin and Nosedive were watching her. She sighed and quietly said, "Dive, go to your brother."

"Mal—"

"_Go_, he's over there itching to talk to you."

Nosedive glanced over and, sure enough, Wildwing was anxiously standing where Grin had left him, watching all three of them. He smiled when Nosedive glimpsed his way.

"He doesn't remember Mal, or you?" Nosedive asked Grin incredulously.

"No, as we were not a part of his life until the Strike Force," Grin explained.

Nosedive risked another look at Mallory, but she was purposely avoiding eye contact again, her arms crossed in front of her and her gaze steadfast on the ground in front of her.

"Mal—"

She looked up at him and her eyes said more than Nosedive ever needed to hear. "Dive, it's okay. He needs you right now."

Their eyes remained locked for a couple more seconds before Nosedive finally nodded, turning and walking to his brother.

Mallory watched him retreat but tore her eyes away before they accidentally drifted over to Wildwing.

She took a deep breath and glanced up at Grin, who was again watching her silently. "Will you stay with them until they're ready to head back?"

He nodded in affirmation.

"Thanks. I'm going to head back to the room and move the rest of my stuff out." He nodded again, his expression once more unreadable. Mallory turned to leave but stopped a few steps in, glancing back at the large duck. "Thanks for helping him, Grin," she added at almost a whisper.

"Memories are like the tides. They surge in and remind us of who we are, and they drift away, leaving no more than a ripple in their wake. But they're always there, and will always return." Grin watched her steadily as he spoke, his voice equally soft but commanding in the small temple.

Mallory forced a slight smile in his direction but did not respond, instead silently exiting the temple and heading back to the motel rooms.

She missed Nosedive and Wildwing's tight hug, and the door shut before she could overhear their excited chatter with one another. Grin watched Mallory's retreating form through the window a little while longer before turning to watch the brothers catch up with one another.


	7. Chapter 7

The wind had picked up since she'd been outside last. The military officers nodded to her as she stepped out, and one was prepared to follow her until Mallory politely declined the escort. She let them know the others would be leaving shortly, and after a few assurances that she was armed and would be fine, she pulled her heavy jacket tighter around herself and made the short trek back to their building.

Snowflakes were falling much faster now, and by the look of the skies it was easy to see that the weather wouldn't be friendly much longer.

Nevertheless, once she was out of view from the officers her walk slowed to a stop, and she used the corner of a nearby building to lean against heavily. She wanted to scream, and cry and collapse to the ground, but instead she took a deep shaky breath, angrily wiping at her face when she confused snowflakes for tears.

The only thing that kept her hopes alive was the prisoner undoing what had been done to Wildwing. If they couldn't help him….

She shook her head and sniffed again, forcing herself to stand and continue back to the building.

Perhaps it was her emotions, or the loud howling of the wind combined with the heavy white of snowfall; either way, someone managed to sneak up behind her and grab her.

Despite being taken by surprise, Mallory's instincts kicked in and she elbowed the perpetrator hard, sending them to their knees as their breath was knocked out of them. She reached for her pucklauncher but was stopped by another pair of hands grabbing her from behind.

Her leg went up and she turned quickly, delivering a strong kick into the side of the head of the stranger. This one went down for the count. Mallory opened her COM unit to call for help.

She was far too outnumbered, however, because a third suspect came from her side with a heavy object straight to her head. The blow brought bright stars to her eyes, and as she felt the world begin to spin she couldn't tell which way was up or down.

And then everything went black.

* * *

Mallory's eyes squinted open, her head throbbing and pulsating to her agitated heartbeat. She blinked repeatedly to clear the blurriness out of her vision.

When she did finally take notice of her surroundings, she found herself in a dank basement of some sort, chained to a support column via her wrists and ankles. It was dark and wet, with her only source of light coming from a small frosted window near the ceiling of the room.

Multiple sets of footsteps could be heard upstairs.

Shaking the last of her unconsciousness away, Mallory sat up and pulled at her chains to test their limits. The support column was wide, which required rather long chains to reach around it. She could stand unhindered, but she couldn't move a step away from the column without both chains going taut.

She looked up at the ceiling and saw that the support column continued up through to the next story: there was no way she could dislodge it without a hacksaw and a lot of free time.

Sighing in frustration she looked down at her attire. She'd been in battle gear when they'd gone to the temple, but now she was only in her purple unitard. Her jacket, armor, utility belt, weapons and even boots were gone.

Her breath caught in her throat when she realized that whoever had taken her was also now in possession of the Drake DuCaine mask—it had still been attached to her belt in a sack.

The door upstairs opened, causing Mallory to quickly lie down and pretend to still be unconscious. She kept one eye barely open to try and see who had kidnapped her.

Several hooded figures came down the stairs, and as they filled the small room she realized one of them was holding her wrist COM. It was buzzing.

A figure walked up to her and roughly kicked her in the stomach, causing Mallory to grunt in pain.

"We know you're awake, dear," the hooded figure growled. Mallory coughed from the blow to the stomach and opened her eyes, glaring at him.

"I am now," she spat.

"Our ways allow us to see more than your simple unaided eyes, duck. We knew precisely when you awoke."

Mallory shifted slightly in her seated position but did not respond. She brought her knees up to her chest to cradle her throbbing stomach and glanced at her COM when it buzzed again.

The figure pulled back his hood, revealing a black-feathered Raptrin with a detailed scar on the side of his face. Mallory instantly recognized the symbol as the marking of Old Ways magic.

The Raptrin looked to his comrades, who all remained hooded. "Prepare the hazing spell."

The hooded figures instantly separated so they covered all corners of the basement. Facing inwards and forming a slight circle around Mallory and the Raptrin, they began to chant rhythmically in ancient Saurian.

After a few stanzas an eerie smoke began to form around the hooded figures' legs, creating a border around the room. The smoke, almost defying physics, did not dissipate: it kept its thin line, following along the legs of the Old Ways Worshippers. When it had fully formed around them their chanting stopped.

But the smoke remained in place, forming a border around the basement.

The Raptrin smiled down at Mallory. "Time to play," he said to her in a whisper.

* * *

An hour after the meditation ended Wildwing, Nosedive and Grin returned with the two military officers to their building, shaking off the snow that had accumulated on them even during that short walk. Wildwing and Nosedive were laughing about a childhood memory and didn't notice Duke and Tanya walk up to them.

"Wildwing?" Duke called out tentatively.

Wildwing and Nosedive stopped, both looking at the former thief.

"Hey, Duke," Wildwing answered, his voice also pretty hesitant.

"How'd, you know, everything go?" Tanya spoke up hopefully.

Before Wildwing could answer Nosedive interrupted, "Maybe I can tell you guys? …In private?"

"Dive, it's okay, I can tell them," Wildwing insisted as he took off his heavy coat. "Grin helped a lot with remembering, well, before the Strike Force."

Duke and Tanya glanced at one another. "Wait, you rememb'a everything except da mission?"

"Well, up to the mission," Wildwing clarified, still looking almost apologetic. "From Dive telling me about it I know kind of what happened, but I don't actually remember it. All I remember is up through the war, and being a prisoner. Everything after that is, well, black."

"Oh," Duke finally breathed after he and Tanya were silent for a few moments.

"Grin thinks that the spell targeted short term memory, which is why that stuff is still gone," Nosedive explained.

"Why couldn't you rememb'a anything before, d'en?" Duke asked, crossing his arms.

"Well, he did get teleported too," Tanya thought out loud before anyone else could answer. "It might, you know, have been real amnesia because of the shock to the body. Then the, uh, meditation would only help bring back memories not destroyed from the spell."

"_Destroyed_?" Wildwing, Duke and Nosedive asked at the same time.

Tanya realized her choice of wording and blushed slightly. "I mean, well, they can be brought back, I'm sure. You know, just … maybe after they reverse the spell."

None of the male mallards looked entirely convinced by her quick explanation. Duke glanced around and frowned slightly at his observation of the main floor. "Did Mallr'y not come back with you?"

Wildwing looked away from the group nervously while Nosedive looked only mildly surprised. "She came back early, after…." Nosedive noticed Wildwing's sudden interest in the wall across the room and ended his sentence early. "She's probably upstairs," he changed the direction of his explanation.

Tanya frowned this time. "That's weird, we just came from up there. I'll, uh, go check on her."

Duke gave her arm a light squeeze and she smiled at him before heading in that direction. Wildwing, seeing the subject was over, brought his attention back to the group in front of him.

"Is Mallory McMallard available?" an officer spoke up, startling the team at his sudden appearance.

Nosedive shook his head. "No, not at the moment. What's up?"

The officer—a younger male mallard—seemed unsure at Nosedive's slang, especially as a legendary Strike Force member. He seemed to shrug it off, however, and asked, "She is currently second in command, since the leader is currently unable to fulfill his position?"

Even as Wildwing slightly glared at the officer's choice of wording, Nosedive simply answered, "Pretty much."

"She requested that Farrin Hallster, the Old Ways Worshipper, be brought back to base for questioning."

"He's here?" Duke asked, seeing where the conversation was heading.

The officer nodded. "She requested immediate interrogation as soon as he arrived. He'll be in our maximum holding quarters, located in section 3Z."

"Where's that?" Nosedive asked.

"It's the third sublevel below this building. The elevator over there," the officer indicated the area with his hand, "is the only access. He'll be there for the duration of his stay."

"Thanks," both Duke and Nosedive responded.

"We'll let Mall'ry know as soon as she returns," Duke added. The officer nodded in affirmation and walked away, back towards the elevator he had mentioned.

"That's the guy that cast the spell on me?" Wildwing asked with uncertainty.

"We don't know who did, but we're hoping he might be able to undo it," Nosedive replied.

"How come I was the only one attacked?" Wildwing asked, his curiosity stronger now that he had some of his memories back.

"Well, you an' Mall'ry," Duke corrected.

"It was just us two?" Wildwing asked, frowning slightly.

"Yeah. You guys basically snuck out because they'd been hounding us ever since we got back to Puckworld," Nosedive explained. "And Mallory said you both wanted some peace before we all were announced to the world."

Wildwing, still frowning, looked to the ground in concentration. Nosedive and Duke looked at each other questioningly before Duke hesitantly asked, "Are you rem'berin' somethin', Wing?"

Wildwing shook his head slowly. "No … yes. I don't know. When you said that I got this strange feeling, like I'm forgetting something really important. It makes me feel, I don't know … really worried, I guess."

"Maybe you're just remembering feelings from the attack," Nosedive suggested.

Wildwing, still frowning, nodded slightly. "Maybe. It just feels so … real. Like the memory is there, but I can't access it."

Before they could discuss anything further, Duke's COM unit beeped. He opened the face cover and spoke into it.

"Find her, angel?" he asked Tanya on the other end of the device.

"Uh, no. I don't think she's been back here, either. Her, uh, duffel bag is in our room, same place it was earlier."

Duke glanced up at the other three ducks, noticing a growing apprehension beginning to show on each of their faces. "All right, sweetheart, we'll try her COM."

Tanya nodded, though only Duke could see that since the screen faced him. "I'll be down in a, uh, minute."

Duke closed the connection and looked to Nosedive. "You want to do the honors?" he asked.

Nosedive wasn't very keen on contacting his sister-in-law at the moment, especially if she was purposely absent because of the recent events regarding Wildwing's memory. But after the past week, Nosedive knew she'd have to understand their worry, even if just a little.

Sighing, he opened his COM and pressed a couple buttons. "Mal, you there?" he asked into it.

He waited a few seconds, the other ducks watching on. No answer.

Nosedive turned slightly away from the others, a bit embarrassed at having to say what he said next: "Look, Mal, I know this isn't the best time, but just let us know you're alive and well and we'll be out of your feathers, 'kay?"

He again waited for a response, but nothing happened.

He turned back toward the others and opened his beak to say something when his COM beeped. He opened the connection immediately and was greeted with static.

"Mal?" he hesitantly asked.

Instead, the face of a very dark-feathered Raptrin came into view, their eyes bloodshot and an intentionally made scar zigzagging one side of their face.

It was an Old Ways Worshipper.

"Hello," they stated roughly. It was a male, but his voice was hollow and raspy from the effects the dark magic had had on him.

"Where's Mallory?" Nosedive's voice became authoritative as his defenses went up. The rest of the team—including Tanya, who had just arrived—got closer so they could see the screen on Nosedive's wrist.

"She's alive," he replied simply. "For now," he added as an afterthought.

"If you harm ONE FEATHER ON her—!"

"Now, now, child," the Raptrin coolly retorted. "Let us converse like adults, here."

Nosedive was seething, his teeth grinding in a very uncharacteristic fashion. "What do you want," he finally stated.

"Our brethren was taken from us," the Raptrin voiced quietly. "You return our brother and you shall have your sister."

"You're the one that attacked us in the first place!" Nosedive growled, his anger barely manageable. By now they had also garnered the attention of nearby officers, who quickly realized there was a situation at hand. A few of the higher-ranked hurried up to the team, also listening in.

"Our vengeance is for our Dark Lord," the Raptrin responded. "We are no different than you, fighting for our beliefs. And like you, we uphold our blood mallards above all else."

"How do I know if she's even alive?" Nosedive asked, his own voice becoming slightly raspy.

"No better than I know our brother is alive," the Raptrin retorted, his voice maintaining a level calm.

Nosedive snarled, "We can't trust you."

"No, you can't," the Raptrin agreed.

Nosedive glanced over at one of the officers, who appeared to be using a device to try and triangulate the COM's signal. Nosedive quickly glanced back at the screen to avoid giving anything away.

"Let me know she's all right," he insisted. "Then we'll talk about a switch."

The Raptrin smiled, and even on the small screen Nosedive got the chills from the evil that emanated from it. The Raptrin turned his head away and mumbled something silently to someone else. After a few moments of silence a loud zap was heard, followed by a strangled yell of pain.

"HEY!" Nosedive yelled, instantly recognizing the scream from Mallory.

The Raptrin's face again appeared on the screen. "You asked for proof, and I have abided."

Knowing there was no arguing with this bird, Nosedive swallowed his choice words and changed the subject. "What makes you think the Council will let me do the switch anyway?"

Again the Raptrin smiled. "This is one of the legendary members of the Strike Force, is it not? She does carry the legendary Drake DuCaine mask, after all. Surely they'll offer a measly prisoner in exchange for her breath and the return of such a valuable artifact?

"Besides, once they realize our magic has prevented them from locating our whereabouts, they'll have no choice."

Surprised at being caught, Nosedive looked up to the same officer that had been using the device to triangulate a signal. Sure enough, the officer looked at him and shook his head at Nosedive, confirming what the Raptrin had said.

"Only one may bring our brother when the lunar moon is at its highest peak, one mile southeast of the base. We'll be waiting."

The COM connection died before Nosedive could say anything else.

"DAMMIT!" the young duck yelled, slamming his COM cover shut. "I thought you guys were GUARDING the joint?!" His arms waved exasperatedly in the air as he spoke, looking for anyone to pinpoint the blame to.

"We have been, sir," a young officer spoke up, stepping forward. "McMallard refused to be escorted back to the building."

Nosedive glared at the officer throughout his speaking but sighed and looked to the ceiling when he finished. "Considering how pigheaded most military officials are, you'd think they'd maybe FOLLOW HER ANYWAY?!"

The officer looked slightly taken aback by the rude comment but didn't say anything. Rather, one of the higher officials of the Council walked up to Nosedive.

"Mr. Flashblade, I suggest you gain control of your emotions. Our officers have been overly generous to your group since arrival, and we do not appreciate being accused of negligence."

Wildwing came up to his brother and rested a hand on his shoulder. Nosedive looked up to him and sighed, shaking his head slightly as he saw the rest of his team staring at him worriedly.

"It's like I'm taking over your part, bro," he said quietly to Wildwing. Before his brother could answer, he turned toward the Council official. "I'm sorry, your Grace, I did not mean any offence." Only slightly familiar with addressing the Council, Nosedive continued his speaking with the official more normally. "Are we allowed to make the switch?"

The Council official was quiet as he looked at Nosedive and the rest of the team. "We usually do not negotiate with Old Ways Worshippers, especially since they rarely uphold their word. However, in this particular instance I don't think we have a choice. Which one of you will make the switch?"

"I will."

The entire team turned with wide-eyes toward Wildwing, who had spoken.

"Wing, there ain't no way—"

"You have no memory of fighting in the war; you can't possibly be expected to—"

"It is unwise—"

"You're still recovering, I don't think—"

"Look, guys," Wildwing attempted to interrupt the sudden onslaught of arguments aimed at him. "Guys, come on; I know I'm not one hundred percent, but—guys. Guys! SHE'S MY LIFEMATE!"

His last statement caused the team to fall into silence. Satisfied he could speak and be heard, Wildwing repeated, "She's my lifemate, and I think it should be me to make the switch."

Before the group could start protesting again, Nosedive held out his hands to keep them quiet. He turned to look at his brother. "Wing, you are a great leader. You kept us together on Earth when no one else could. And you could fight like the best. But you have no _memory_ of this. You don't remember years of experience that you're going to need out there tonight, bro. …I can't risk losing you twice."

Wildwing's determination softened at his brother's words. "Baby Bro, I know it seems crazy, but it's something I feel I have to do. I might not remember being a leader or taking down Dragaunas, but the fight's still in me, right? Just because I can't remember it doesn't mean I can't do it. Stuff like that should be ingrained in me."

Nosedive was quiet as he stared up at his brother for several silent moments. Finally he said, "I hope you know what you're doing, Wing."

Wildwing didn't respond, but smiled gratefully at his little brother. Nosedive turned to look at the Council official. "I guess Wildwing will be making the trade."

The official, having overheard the whole ordeal, simply nodded. "Old Ways Worshippers usually put a blocking spell on the area they choose for the meet, to prevent any kind of communication between the deliverer and his backup. However, some of our scientists have been working with this style of dark magic to create technology immune to its effects." The Council looked over at Tanya. "Ms. Vanderflock, would you be willing to come with me so we can see if any prototypes might be of value for tonight's swap?"

Tanya, slightly surprised at being addressed, nodded dumbly. She gave Duke's hand a squeeze and followed the older duck out of the room and towards the labs. Five officers followed the two as their escorts.

"Hey, Dive, if we hafta give up the prisoner tonight maybe it wouldn' hurt ta have a go at 'im now, see if he can't help Wing," Duke offered, stepping towards the two brothers. "I mean, 'e doesn't know he's about ta be sprung free, right?"

Nosedive's eyebrows quirked upward and he looked over towards the elevator that led to the lower levels. He then looked up at his brother. "Can't hurt, right?"

Wildwing, only slightly nervous, nodded his head in agreement.


	8. Chapter 8

"Mr. Hallster, you have visitors," the rather large officer addressed the prisoner in a sarcastic tone, using his baton to tap on the specialized cell door before opening it. He turned to look at Wildwing and Duke. "Just you two going in?"

Nosedive and Grin had been asked to meet up with Tanya to further discuss using some of the Council's new technology against Old Ways magic. Nosedive thought, given his outburst earlier, it'd be best for Duke to go with Wildwing and try to get the prisoner to talk to them.

Prior to coming down to the sublevel two Council officials assured the four male ducks that the new cell the prisoner was in would keep him from using his magic; they had purposely brought a portable version of the specialized cell back with the prisoner when Mallory had requested to speak with him.

If they could somehow convince the prisoner to give them the spell information, the Council had mentioned other Old Ways Worshippers that could use the information to reverse the spell. These particular worshippers had been reverted back to their old selves; the Old Ways magic was forever bound to them, but it didn't have a hold on their lives like it did those who used the dark magic regularly.

So it was possible that—with the right information—they could perform the reverse spell on Wildwing and cure his short-term amnesia.

"Yup, just us two," Duke answered to the guard. The guard didn't say anything in return, only pressing a few buttons on the console inside the door he had opened. It beeped and another door past the first one slid open. The officer stepped to the side and gestured for the two to enter.

As they passed him he said, "Just knock three times when you're ready and we'll buzz you out. Knock repeatedly if there's any trouble and we'll come busting in, okay?"

Wildwing gave the officer a rather nervous glance but Duke simply nodded to the rather burly duck.

When they were inside the hallway the door behind them slid shut with a hiss. At the end of the short hallway was a cell with glass-like bars. Both Wildwing and Duke slowly approached them.

"'ello?" Duke called when they reached the end. They couldn't enter the cell obviously, but even with how small it was they couldn't see anyone inside.

Until, around the corner, emerged Farrin Hallster. He was in Puckworld-issued prison garb: solid light blue scrubs with a simple darker blue silhouette of a duck holding up of the Drake DuCaine mask embroidered on the left breast.

He was skinny with unkempt brown feathers and reddish hair. His eyes were bloodshot and his cheek held the same zigzag scar symbolizing his allegiance to the Old Ways magic.

Farrin looked at the two peculiarly, focusing his attention on Wildwing. He smiled after a few seconds.

"You have spell on you!" he giddily sang, skipping to the back of his cell. "I recognize newbie Sprocket's magic anywhere!"

Duke cleared his throat slightly and took a step forward. "So Sprocket messed up da spell?"

Farrin eyed Duke suspiciously. "The spell is working, it isn't not working! It is in fine order."

Duke cocked his head slightly. "But wasn't da spell suppose' ta freeze 'im and not wipe his memories?"

Farrin was quiet again as he looked at them. Springing up from his seated position on the floor he quickly closed the gap between himself and Wildwing, causing Wildwing to take a step back out of alarm. "Memories are lost? Are you without memories?" he asked Wildwing.

"Um, some," Wildwing answered quietly.

"Oh dear, I see. I see I see I see! I thought you only teleported away, far far away." Farrin jumped around his cell some more. "Only a few words difference, the freezing and lost spells. Sprocket is new, and new Sprocket probably mixed them up. Oh well, he's been doing really really well." Farrin, seeming to forget about his visitors, began humming as he idly traced the far wall with his fingers.

"Um, Farrin?"

Farrin turned to look at Duke, surprised. "Oh! You're still here, yes?"

"Uh, yup, still 'ere."

"Are you unhappy with the lost memories, lord slayer?" Farrin's voice grew cold quickly and he addressed his question to Wildwing.

Wildwing, unable to find his words, nodded.

"It is unwise to be unhappy with spells. We've bestowed magic unto you, and you should feel privileged that it was given to you." Farrin came closer to the cell door, glaring at Wildwing. "Are you unhappy?" he asked again.

Duke took a step forward, between Wildwing and Farrin. "Farrin, we mean no disrespect to da spell. But wit'out his memories he can't feel guilty over slaying yer lord. He doesn't remember even doin' it."

Wildwing, behind Duke, frowned. The ex-master thief was playing a dangerous game with this nutcase.

Farrin's face was unreadable as he stared at Duke. After several tensely quiet moments Farrin tapped his bill thoughtfully, turning around and pacing his small cell. "You have a point, you have a point indeed.

"If we kill him later, it'll be pointless. He won't understand why we're killing him. There'll be no regret for murdering our lord, and regret we must have."

Duke, afraid to say anything, simply watched Farrin. Wildwing stepped to the side so he could see inside the cell again, but let Duke remain close to the bars.

Farrin continued to pace, one of his hands folded under the bottom of his bill and the other crossed over himself in earnest concentration.

"You don't remember slaying our lord?" Farrin asked Wildwing nonchalantly, stopping in the center of the cell.

"No," Wildwing answered. Like Duke, he was afraid to say the wrong thing and kept his answers simple.

"That's not good. That's not good at all," Farrin mumbled some more to himself, resuming his pacing.

"I guess we must reverse it then, prior to your murder."

Wildwing opened his beak to say something, but Duke brought up his hand, gesturing him to remain silent. "Will you tell us how ta reverse it?" Duke asked Farrin.

Farrin laughed hard, almost as if he was trying too hard. "You cannot reverse it! It must be done by a true magian of course!"

"O' course," Duke lamely agreed.

"It is easy to do, no problem. Words words and more words are all that's needed!"

Both Duke and Wildwing nodded. "What kinds of words?" Wildwing asked.

"The beautiful language of the Old Ways, of course!" Farrin chastised Wildwing good naturedly. "It is a simple rhythm of a connected ancient lexis … it makes the world and breaks it on the whim of its user."

"It sounds like it might be a beau'iful language," Duke agreed.

"Might be? There is no _might_ about it!" Farrin, feeling protective, waltzed up to the cell bars. "It is a gorgeous language!"

"But we haven' heard it," Duke gently argued. "We have ta hear it ta know fer sure."

Farrin, in his pride, began speaking in the ancient tongue as he danced around his cell. Duke and Wildwing glanced at each other but kept quiet.

When Farrin was finished, he looked at Duke and Wildwing defiantly, his hands on his hips. "See?"

Duke and Wildwing nodded. "Yup, you're right, t'is a gorgeous language," Duke agreed. "What did ya say?"

"There is no good translation to our filthy language," Farrin responded sadly. "It is in a class of its own. _But,_ if I wasn't in this icky cell you would be feeling really guilty right now!" Farrin pointed accusingly at Wildwing but giddily laughed as he spoke.

"He'd have 'is memories back?" Duke asked hesitantly.

"Yup yup!" Farrin sang, still dancing around his cell.

"Well, t'anks fer talking wit' us Farrin," Duke said, keeping his face expressionless. He gestured with his head for Wildwing to knock on the door.

Farrin, still dancing around, smiled. "I love talking, but it's even more fun to jump!"

"I see that," Duke smiled at the prisoner, taking a step back. "We'll be back later, 'kay?"

"Visitors are always fun!" Farrin agreed, still not really paying attention to them.

Wildwing knocked three times, and the door leading out hissed open. Before Farrin noticed or could say anything the two ducks quickly left the hallway.

As the door hissed the same officer from before walked up. "Nice work there, L'Orange."

"Heh, t'anks," Duke answered. "Got it all on tape?"

The officer pointed over to the security room across the hallway. "Sure thing. We'll hand the surveillance over to the Council, and hopefully one of their reformed duckies can perform the spell."

"Sounds great. Are any of d'ese reformed ducks nearby?"

"Don't know; you'll have to take up the Council on that."

The officer led Duke and Wildwing to the elevator before returning to the security room.

"You think it'll work?" Wildwing asked as the elevator slowly travelled up to the main floor.

"Dunno Wing. But t'at kook didn't seem like da kind ta pull a fast one, at least."

"Heh, yeah. I wonder if that happens to all of them when the dark magic starts to take over."

"From what I' been told and what I' read, it takes da very essence of you and darkens it. If you're a bit loopy ta begin wit', though, I imagine it might not fix it as much as play off it."

"So crazy stays crazy?"

"Pretty much."

Wildwing was quiet as he thought for a moment. "If, if I was in your shoes and you in mine, would I have taken charge in there?"

Duke gave Wildwing a side glance. "I didn' really take charge in d'ere. I just know how to con ducks—a rather bittersweet talent, I might add."

"I'm just feeling so … useless to you guys."

This time Duke turned his full body towards Wildwing. "Wing, I understand t'is is hard, but that ain't why yer makin' the switch, right? We don't expect you to do this, Wing—and we don't want you ta do this if da only reason you got is because yer feeling useless."

Wildwing shook his head. "It's not why I'm doing this, Duke—promise. I do feel useless to you guys, but I still feel like the memories are there. And Mallory … I know this sounds stupid, but ever since I met her I've felt this … this connection. She's my lifemate, I know, but without my memories she's just my friend. But I _want_ to do this—I need to, for her."

"It's not stupid ta feel something fer someone that's been a huge part of your life fer a while, memories or no memories."

The rather antique elevator dinged and the doors slid open, revealing the main floor. Officers and officials alike were scurrying about the place, performing their daily routines on the base.

"Have you and Tanya been together as long as Mallory and me?"

Duke smiled slightly. "Nah. You and Mall'ry were an item not long after we arrived on Eart'. It took a lot longer fer me to convince Tanya. We started datin' about a year after you lovebirds."

The two stepped off the elevator, spotting Nosedive, Grin and Tanya on the other side of the room talking with a couple of officials.

"Mallory and I … we were really in love?" Wildwing asked, not immediately realizing his choice of words.

Duke glanced at him. "Yeah, you _are_. I know it doesn't feel right sayin' it, Wing, but everything about yer feelings toward Mal are very real and very present."

They continued the walk in silence, Wildwing only briefly glancing at the ex-thief before letting his eyes wander to the ground, distracted by his own thoughts.

* * *

Mallory grunted a little as one of the hooded worshippers shoved her harshly through the thick snow. While the storm had only just begun, much of the less-traveled areas were already blanketed in a thick coat of white.

And without her jacket that they'd taken from her, Mallory was feeling every bit of it.

She picked up her pace as best as she could, turning to look back at the Raptrin, who appeared to be the leader of the cult. He was a few yards away and to the side of Mallory, surrounded by about four of his hooded brethren.

Mallory had no idea where they were going, but she had an idea as to why. During the phone conversation—before they decided to zap her with electricity and knock her out—she had heard Nosedive's frantic voice on the COM.

They were using her as bait, and there was only one duck that this misguided flock would want in trade for her.

Her breath had become ragged as her lungs fought the bitter cold. Her extremities were almost numb from the damp snow penetrating her clothes, but at this point she was equally numb to its effects. She felt the hooded duck behind her approach her and pull on the cuffs chaining her hands behind her back.

The pull slowed her down and she saw the rest of the hooded figures gather in a large circle around her.

The Raptrin came into view and looked down at her.

"Your will is strong, and you fight like a warrior. You'd be a fine addition to our community."

Mallory, despite the situation, scoffed at him. "In your dreams, lizard-lover."

The Raptrin grinned derisively at her, glancing briefly at his hooded minions currently chanting away in unison in the large circle they had created around them. He looked back to Mallory and leaned in close to her.

"I'll tell you a secret, my dear. I don't _care_ about Dragaunas, or Wraith, or any of those disgusting reptiles," he whispered coolly.

Mallory had leaned back from the Raptrin's approach, but her leaning stopped and her brow furrowed at his statement.

Seeing that he had her attention, the Raptrin's smile grew. "I'm just fond of the limitless power they stupidly gave me. Every worshipper makes me stronger, and soon I'll be able to control minds, teleport, and—while our Lord Wraith never had the power to—folklore says I'll be able to manipulate time itself."

Mallory stared at him with disdain. "Then your mind's not warped from the dark magic; you're just a pathetic excuse for a duck."

"Raptrin, my dear, and we are of a pure race that shall never be tainted by the likes of your mutt ancestry … even though you _are_ such a fine specimen of one." The Raptrin brought his hand up to brush Mallory's cheek, but she quickly jerked away from him.

This didn't seem to bother the Raptrin at all. "It's okay, your beauty will live on in martyrdom."

Mallory's jerk reaction knocked her nearly off balance in the snow. She struggled to maintain standing, her arms instinctively pulling on the cuffs to try and separate them for balance. Despite her struggle, however, she did not miss the Raptrin's comment. "Wha—what?"

"You don't _actually _think I'd let you live through this little charade, did you? My brethren follow me because _they_ worship our Dark Lord," the Raptrin's voice lowered again to prevent his subordinates from hearing him. "And they fully expect the Strike Force to pay for the death of their king."

"Then why are we here?" Mallory asked, her voice hoarse and exhausted from the cold.

"Why, you're the cheese, my lovely, that brings all the mice out of hiding."

Mallory glared at him but did not respond. The snow around them was falling heavily now and the wind pierced every inch of her exposed body. The worshippers around her had stopped chanting, though nothing seemed different or out of the ordinary.

If they had indeed casted a spell it wasn't readily apparent who or what it targeted.

When the Raptrin did not receive a response his smile lessened into a smug grin and he turned his attention to his followers. "Let us begin the protection spell and barricade our surroundings from intrusion!"

Mallory watched as the hooded ducks expanded their circle by stepping back and turning their backs to her and the leader. Their chanting resumed, though with more intensity and volume. A black smoke began to form at their feet, though this time the smoke moved outwards and disappeared into the snowy air.

With the leader inches next to her and the cuffs and injuries slowing her movements, Mallory could only stand and watch as her teammates walked into a trap.


	9. Chapter 9

Nosedive and Wildwing stood apart from the rest of the group, about half a mile outside of the proposed meeting place.

It was also just outside of the protection spell the Worshippers had casted an hour ago.

While the Saurian's technology and magic were far more advanced than Puckworld's, it was apparent that in the few years the Mighty Ducks had been gone the Council had been working hard to catch Puckworld up.

When the Saurian War was finally over the government had ample leftover Raptors and Saurian engineering debris to comb through and replicate. In addition, they'd manage to catch a few stray Old Ways Worshippers along the way to study and, through vigorous therapy, reform.

By being given the knowledge of dark magic, the Council could detect the magic being used, learn reverse spells to protect their officers during battle, and even use specially-built technology to hinder the magic's effects.

In the case of Nosedive, he was wearing such an item now in the disguise of a vest.

Nosedive adjusted the piece of clothing, which would apparently stop the worshippers from casting any spells on him. The Council told him that a reformed worshipper had casted a reverse spell on the article of clothing, and that it'd been successfully used in many other missions involving the capture of dark magic users.

It didn't make Nosedive feel like any less of a fool, though. He wore the article over his battlegear, but it basically looked like something a construction worker would wear.

Wildwing, standing next to him and fidgeting in his battlegear, looked downright anxious compared to his little brother.

In his defense, however, in Wildwing's head this was his first mission.

"Doing okay there, bro?" Nosedive asked, watching out of the corner of his eye as nearby officers scrambled to get their plan into action.

Wildwing startled at his voice, obviously zoning out. He looked down at him and smiled. "Best as I could be, I guess," he answered. One of his eyebrows quirked slightly and he added, "It's so weird seeing you like this, Dive. I know I'm missing years of us going into war together, but I gotta say, it's changed you."

Nosedive frowned slightly. "Changed me? How?"

Wildwing shrugged, though the movement turned out to be awkward in his heavy battlegear. "You're headstrong, calm, and you actually think through your actions. I used to have to pull you out of trouble daily when we were kids. Hell, it was like that a week before the Invasion. But now … now you're the responsible one, and I'm the one that feels like the new kid on the first day of school."

Nosedive scoffed slightly, waving his brother off with a flick of his hand. "Nah, it's still the same. It wouldn't be a good week if I didn't play a prank on _somebody_. And you're a leader, Wing, inside and out: you've even gotten worse with age.

"'Sides, it might feel like it, but I promise you this ain't your first rodeo," Nosedive added a western accent to his voice, causing Wildwing to laugh.

"Thanks Dive," Wildwing added gratefully.

Nosedive smiled at his brother and patted him on the back. "It's good to have you back, Bro, but we're not quite there yet. We'll fix this."

Wildwing nodded in affirmation and looked up as Tanya approached the duo.

"Are you, uh, ready Wildwing?" she asked, looking almost as apprehensive as Wildwing himself.

"I think so," he replied, "but it wouldn't hurt to go over it one more time."

Nosedive smirked. "Yup, definitely like our first mission."

Tanya smiled, despite the situation, and tapped on Nosedive's vest. "We got about, uh, 20 or so officers with vests on that'll keep, uh, the worshippers from knowing when we enter their barrier spell." Tanya glanced at Wildwing, adding, "You're not wearing one, because we need them to—uh, be none the wiser."

She pointed back at an older raven-black female duck, standing by herself with her arms crossed and looking anxious. She had an aged scar on her face half-covered by her gray hair, forever linking her past with the Old Ways Worshippers. "Junip will cast a spell on you, that—when you come in contact with someone else feather to feather, will teleport you to the border of—uh—the barrier spell they've, uh, cast."

"Which wouldn't work if Wildwing was wearing one of these anti-magic vests," Nosedive added, pointing at his own added attire.

"Correct. We want to get you and, um, Mallory as far away as possible and as quick as possible. The, uh, Old Ways Worshippers have started to figure out what these vests are, so uh, hopefully they won't be suspicious if you approach Mallory without one on.

"But at the same time, it does put you at, uh, risk for their spells," Tanya warned. Wildwing swallowed hard in return, having been keenly aware of the risk since the rescue plan had been made hours ago.

"And once you guys are teleported, we'll enter with our own fancy anti-detection vests and attack without them knowing the wiser!" Nosedive added, pounding his fist into his other hand in obvious anticipation.

"Question," Wildwing interrupted. "Why doesn't the anti-magic vest work on stopping the spell that's on me now?"

Junip, unbeknownst to them, had quietly approached the three as Tanya had been explaining things. She answered for the blonde duck: "Because it wasn't an accurate spell. If Sprocket had cast it appropriately, you'd have been frozen and subsequently shattered to bits."

The trio stared silently at her, which pushed her to add, "I mean, it's good that it wasn't cast properly. But he completely mucked up the phrases. You're lucky the miscast spell actually worked, because when that happens the target usually just deatomizes—depending on the spell, of course."

"Of course," Nosedive added rather sarcastically.

"Look, I'm just saying that it's going take some time to listen to his spell and reverse it safely, all right?" Junip had uncrossed her arms and held them at fist by her sides. She was small, so it wasn't outright intimidating, but you could tell she had a temper. Nosedive had called her Mallory's grandma at one point during the evening.

"I'm sorry, it's just a lot to take in," Wildwing apologized for his brother before even realizing what he was doing. Junip looked at him and shook her head.

"Old Ways Worshippers are not evil, or at least most of them aren't. You have to remember that when many of us became that way it was either obey or starve. But once you're in it you can't just leave—the magic is encompassing, and lures you back to it. Trust me, I'm two years out of it and I still fight the feelings every damn day."

While still silent, the trio looked more sympathetic than they first did upon her approach. She sighed and turned to Wildwing. "Shall we cast the spell?"

Wildwing looked to Tanya and Noesdive, who both nodded to him. He looked back to the small, older duck and said, "Lead the way."

* * *

"If things go south, use this," Tanya handed Wildwing a small flashlight, which he took and looked at quizzically.

"Point it up at the, uh, sky, and click it on—it's a flare in disguise. Junip said it should, uh, penetrate the barrier spell."

"Oh, I see," Wildwing said, pocketing it inside his gear.

Nosedive, Junip, Grin, and Duke all stood with the two at the border of the barrier spell. While it could not be seen by them, Junip had helped officers in placing markers at the edges of the spell. Once Wildwing entered, the Old Ways Worshippers would know where he was.

"Good luck, Bro," Nosedive said, almost reaching out to hug him. Tanya and Duke both leaned forward and stopped him.

"You want to get teleported a mile away, eh?" Duke asked Nosedive, indirectly reminding him of the spell currently on Wildwing.

"Heh, oh yeah," Nosedive grinned cheekily. He nodded to his brother. "Sorry, Wing."

"The spell isn't strong enough to cast you out of their barrier spell," Junip reminded. "If I made it that strong it'd be sensed by them for sure."

"You're sure d'ey won't sense it on 'im now?" Duke asked.

Junip shrugged. "There's always a possibility unfortunately, but it is well cloaked. They would have to know what to look for to sense it … if that makes sense."

"Not really, but we'll take yer word on it," Duke answered, shaking his head. He looked to Wildwing. "Be safe, Wing, and get 'er back."

Wildwing smiled, but his face was laced with anxiety. "I'll do everything I can."

* * *

Farrin, handcuffed and wearing his own special anti-magic vest to prevent him for casting his own spells, walked to the side and slightly in front of Wildwing as they made their way through the dense forest.

"Oh, I do love snow! So magical," Farrin called out in glee, putting a skip into every step as Wildwing followed closely behind.

"Well, considering where you live I guess that's a good thing," Wildwing lamely replied, his mind clearly elsewhere as he stepped over branches and around bushes layered in a thick white blanket.

"Indeed indeed indeed," Farrin responded, looking up at the sky. "They know where we are, and what we do. They laugh at my silly attire, for you will not live through the night for it to matter."

Wildwing's concentration came back in full gear and he looked at Farrin suspiciously. "Well, if they refuse to let me live I guess that means I can't let you live. Wouldn't be very fair, now would it?"

Farrin cast a quick glare at Wildwing, but there was a gleam in his eye as he smiled ruefully. "We shall see who lives and dies this day. We shall see."

Wildwing sighed at Farrin's attempt at terrorizing him and remained silent. It wasn't worth trying to converse with a lunatic.

A low hum could be heard as they continued their trek through the trees, and it wasn't until they were both in a clearing that Wildwing realized it was low rhythmic chanting from the followers that created the noise.

They had formed a tight circle, but two of them parted ways so that Wildwing and Farrin could enter. Inside, a hooded Raptrin stood behind Mallory; she was on her knees with her back to him, her arms cuffed behind her. Her head sagged, but she looked up when she heard their approach.

"Welcome," the Raptrin said, his arms spreading wide as if to embrace the two in front of him. "I am glad to see my brother alive and well."

"Yes, my Lord Craithin, I have returned to you," Farrin replied, falling to his knees in a sign of worship. He bowed his head as far as he could, since his hands were still handcuffed behind him.

Mallory looked at Wildwing incredulously, and shook her head as delicately as possible in a show of warning to him. Wildwing already knew, however, that this would not end well if they made the exchange. He saw Mallory's lack of attire, however, and angrily looked to Craithin.

"Where's her gear? Why would you just leave her here without anything to keep warm?"

Craithin stepped forward, his hand brazenly resting on Mallory's shoulder. "Why, my good sir, at least introduce yourself. Or do you not remember?" he smirked, and Wildwing's rage fumed more.

"I didn't hear you making any introductions."

"My word, you're right. Excuse my barbarism. I am Craithin, leader of the Fire Brotherhood. And you?" Craithin's hand squeezed Mallory's shoulder hard enough to make her flinch.

Wildwing relented. "Wildwing Flashblade."

"I'm glad the spell did not completely ruin your mind," Craithin said, though his words were biting. "Tell me, then, with that spell still clearly a part of you, what _don't _you remember?" Craithin took a step back, reaching behind Mallory. He bent down and pulled her ring off her hand, standing back up and letting the jewelry glisten in the bright moonlight. "Do you remember your teammate here? The one who wears a mated band with your name on it?"

Wildwing swallowed hard. A part of him was glad he couldn't remember his past, because the anger and fear he felt now for Mallory would have become unbearable. "I am here for the exchange. Are we doing this or not?"

Craithin sighed, letting the ring drop into the snow. Mallory was stoically still, but you could see the constant shivering she was trying hard to suppress.

"I guess marriage is only as good as the memories you can keep." Craithin took a few steps away from Mallory, looking at his brethren encircling them. "And how do you propose we do this, Lord Slayer?"

Wildwing grinded his teeth but remained calm. "Farrin is yours. Let me take Mallory and leave."

Craithin smiled and patted a pocket on his robe. "And what about this lovely mask?"

"Keep it. I just want her." Wildwing looked at Mallory, who shook her head vigorously this time. Wildwing ignored it, but realized quickly that Mallory wasn't choosing not to speak—she couldn't. Without anything visibly holding her beak shut, Wildwing guessed that the Raptrin had casted some kind of spell on her to keep her quiet.

Craithin's eyebrow raised in obviously suspicion at that remark but he played along. "I doubt that was the Council's intentions of you coming in here for the exchange."

"Probably not."

Craithin smiled again, this time with more menace. He nodded to Mallory. "Very well, go ahead and take her."

Mallory's eyes almost pleaded with Wildwing to not approach her, but he did so anyway. He cautiously kneeled down next to her, and removed one of his gloves.

"Hey," he said gently, fully aware the Raptrin was watching his movements closely. "Let's get you home, okay?"

Mallory looked at him, and though she had stopped shaking her head her eyes were still laced with a worry she could not express. Wildwing's unclothed hand gently caressed Mallory's cheek.

The last thing Wildwing heard before they teleported away was Craithin's enraged holler.

* * *

In their same positions, Wildwing and Mallory ended up somewhere else deep in the forest, supposedly near the border of the barrier spell. They'd have to move quickly before the followers caught up to them.

Wildwing helped Mallory stand. "Can you walk?" he asked her, realizing very quickly that she wasn't even wearing shoes.

The distance between Mallory and Craithin was enough to dissolve whatever spell he'd used to keep Mallory quiet. She looked at him with fear and exclaimed, "Wildwing, there's a—AAGGH!"

Mallory was yanked from Wildwing's grasp, and flew backwards about ten feet before landing roughly on the ground.

"Mallory!" Wildwing frantically chased after her, looking around for the perpetrators. "What's going on?!"

Mallory was breathing heavily, the wind knocked out of her from the pull. "He has me in a binding spel—" she was quickly cut off again as the spell pulled her back another ten feet, this time almost pulling her into a tree. She tried to stand but couldn't.

Wildwing reached her in time for the spell to pull on her again, this time for much longer: the closer she got the stronger the binding spell became.

Wildwing pulled out his flashlight and shot the hidden flare into the air before chasing after Mallory, knowing full well he was probably running back to his death.

* * *

Mallory reentered the clearing roughly, landing on her back and skidding to a halt in front of the Raptrin. She rolled onto her stomach and tried to pull herself up into a kneeling position, but her cuffed hands and recent rough handling made it almost impossible.

The Raptrin didn't give her time to try, however, and brutally pulled her into a standing position. He looked her in the eye. "Your darling mate was obviously going to try and pull a fast one on me, but to use _my magic _against _me_?" He growled and turned her roughly around, so that she faced the clearing. A small dagger made its way precariously close to Mallory's neck.

"He and you will both _pay_."

Wildwing was not far behind, and Mallory saw him slowly enter the clearing, breathing heavily from chasing after her.

"Just let her go and take me in her place," Wildwing offered, his hands in the air in a sign of surrender.

Craithin was out of smiles and charisma, however. He kept Mallory close with one hand holding the dagger against her throat; his other hand outstretched towards Wildwing.

"It's a shame to kill her without you knowing who she is, and yet at the same time how gleefully awful it'd be for her to die knowing you'll never remember her as your lifemate. I hate being indecisive though, so why don't we have _both_?"

Wildwing made a grab for Farrin—or more particular, Farrin's vest—as the latter still remained kneeled before the Raptrin, waiting to be forgiven. Craithin's incantation was quick however, and midway to Farrin Wildwing dropped to the ground, clasping his head in pain.

"Wildwing!"

He looked up at her, and without words Mallory could see he knew who she was. He was confused at the situation, however, and tried to get up, but before he could another wave of pain washed over him and he fell to the ground, his memories once again gone.

"Watch your mate die, Wildwing! Feel the anguish and then forget all about it as she lies in her own pool of vile blood."

"Drop the dagger, weirdo!"

Nosedive, Duke, Tanya, Grin and over a dozen officers surrounded the group, with many of the followers already forced into vests after being caught by surprise. Nosedive and Duke stood with a cautious distance from Craithin, while Grin attempted to approach Wildwing.

"I recommend you stop your advances, lest you want one less _duck_." Craithin tightened his dagger on Mallory, causing a small amount of blood to trickle down her neck as she flinched in pain.

Wildwing was still on the ground, the curse causing his mind to jump from normal to amnesic at such a fast rate that no actions could be performed. His hands grabbed at his head in pure agony, and brief cries of anguish could be heard.

Seconds felt like minutes as Craithin held the knife to Mallory's throat, with Duke and Nosedive waiting in tense silence for the next move to be made. Mallory watched out of the corner of her eye as Grin removed some odd vest he and the others were wearing. He had been approaching Wildwing with it, appearing to want to put the vest on the spellbound duck. He stood still, however, his eyes also on Craithin.

_Mallory, kick away from his touch._

Mallory's brow furrowed, the voice in her head seemingly coming from all directions. She looked around but could not find the source. No one else seemed to have heard the female duck.

_Do it now!_

The voice was strong and bellowed in her head. Mallory decided not to hesitate. Taking some advice from Earth-style fighting, she kicked up and behind her, catching the Raptrin in a very sensitive area.

He hollered and loosened his grip enough to allow Mallory to duck under his arm, falling to the ground below. She looked back to see him ready to cast something on her, but before he could his entire physique became frozen. The action had happened in seconds, and Nosedive and Duke looked on in surprise, having had no time to react.

Mallory noticed a small black duck approach from behind Nosedive, startling him as well. The female looked to Mallory and said softly, "He's petrified, you're safe." The older duck's voice was the same one she had heard telepathically. She appeared to be an Old Ways Worshipper, a telltale jagged scar making its way across one side of her face.

The situation at hand flooded back into her mind and Mallory cried out, "Wildwing, he—" before turning to him. The rest of her sentence remained unspoken, however, upon seeing Grin's vest around Wildwing's shoulders, and Wildwing seemingly unconscious. "Is he okay?" she instead interrupted herself, trying to stand.

"That vest stops spells," Duke answered for her as he approached. Are _you_ okay?" he emphasized his question, kneeling down and using his saber to cut Mallory's cuffs in half. She gingerly rubbed her wrists as she kept her eyes on Wildwing.

"I…I think so." Mallory took Duke's outstretched hands and used them to help stand. "Does that mean the other spell is gone now too?" she asked a bit too hopefully, not even bothering to ask how a vest managed to turn spells off.

"Hard ta explain, Sweet'eart, but da short answer is no." Mallory didn't say anything in return, but she didn't have to. She involuntary shivered, causing Duke to pull off his coat and wrap it around her. "Come on, let's get you outta da cold." Mallory began to walk with Duke but stopped, turning around and kneeling on the ground.

"Mal?" Duke asked quizzically.

Mallory felt in the snow and, after a few sweeps, pulled out her ring. She shakily placed it on her finger as she stood, staring at Craithin anxiously. He still stared at the ground where she had fallen, his arm outstretched in a threatening manner.

Seeing at what she had retrieved, Duke walked up to Mallory and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Come on," he repeated softly.

As the two made their way out of the clearing, Nosedive and Grin helped place Wildwing on a stretcher brought out by two officers. Tanya hovered nearby, using her portable Medi-Com to check on him. The black duck—the one Mallory had heard in her head—stood off in the distance, quietly watching the situation unfold.


	10. Chapter 10

_One week later_

Mallory walked silently down the large hall to the Council's meeting room. Officers were posted at every other door or so along the hallway, making the entire complex seem much more restricted than it really was. She nodded to them as she walked by, though they never acknowledged her presence.

She had signs of hypothermia when she had returned to the base, and had been hospitalized for six days recovering from shock. She'd not been allowed to see her teammates during that time, as she'd been quarantined to make sure no other spells lingered on her.

Apparently a rescued victim some years ago had been mind-warped into murdering a high Council member some weeks after their own liberation.

Thankfully, after a lot of sessions with reformed worshippers, she was free to come back.

Unfortunately, however, nothing had changed. She visited with her teammates the night before, but had found that Wildwing had been mostly on voluntary solitude since her rescue. Nosedive mentioned that he was working hard on meditating both with Grin and by himself, devoting all his time in trying to break the spell.

Nosedive said that Wildwing could recall Mallory's rescue, but that he had no memories of anything after Craithin had casted that spell on him. Nosedive had also awkwardly forwarded Wildwing's message to Mallory that he would visit with her the next day, and that he was glad she was okay.

Mallory still had not seen Wildwing since her return to the base.

Present Mallory knocked on one of the large double doors to the room, waiting for the muffled "Come in," before opening the door and closing it behind her.

Inside were three representatives of the Council, two sitting at the large meeting table and one standing beside a window, staring out with a mug in his hand.

He turned when Mallory entered. "Please, Ms. McMallard, have a seat."

Mallory obediently sat down, her back straight and posture tense—partly from military training, and partly from anxiety. She was slightly offended from them dropping her married last name, but chose not to outright comment.

Instead, still slightly stuck in military mode, she stated, "First Lieutenant Mallory McMallard_-Flashblade_ reporting, sirs."

The one standing walked up to the table, placing his mug on the wooden surface. "I am Colonel Redferd, and these are Metropolis' Council representatives Honorable Becker and Fonderson." The colonel used his hands to introduce each of the male ducks. He turned back to Mallory when he finished. "We've asked you here to discuss the upcoming reveal."

"Of the Strike Force?" Mallory clarified.

"Yes, of course." The colonel picked up his mug and walked around the large table, sitting down across from Mallory. "You are aware of Mr. Flashblade's current status?"

"He still doesn't remember being a part of the Strike Force," Mallory answered, leaving all emotions out of her simple statement.

"We still plan on having him revealed, however, because he is a huge part of our campaign to help restore Metropolis—and much of Puckworld—back to its former glory."

Mallory frowned. "I'm sorry, campaign?"

"He is the public figure that Metropolis could use right now. He took over where Lieutenant Thunderbeak left off, and with his team—your team—he managed to take down Dragaunas. His return will further help rally those who do not remain loyal to the Council as they once did."

"I'm sorry, what does this have to do with me?" She broke from her military training briefly, feeling a tension in the room that she knew was not good. She hated politics.

"We were fully prepared to forgive your crime of relations with Mr. Flashblade during the course of your mission, without discharging you. However, this recent turn of events has made this situation hard.

"Wildwing cannot remember you, and we currently need him to relearn his feats on Earth, to be able to talk about his adventures publicly and candidly."

Mallory's anger rose, but she swallowed it down and remained silent.

The colonel looked to Becker, who took his turn in speaking up. "We need you to pretend for the time being that you two are not … involved."

Mallory took a deep, steady breath, looking to the ground to keep her voice calm and her thoughts rational. "They're working on reversing the spell. I'm sure it will be done before—"

"We've put a hold on that for right now," Becker interrupted.

"What? Why?!" Mallory's head shot up, despair evident in her expression. "He'd remember me _and_ the Strike Force then!"

"There is a very real danger that reversing this—improper—spell could actually kill Wildwing rather than fix it. Junip has worked hard on the wording we received from the prisoner last week, but it's gibberish and she fears trying to reverse it would simply destroy him. While their leader had seemingly reversed the spell, we have no hopes that Craithin can be properly reformed like other Old Ways Worshippers: he has been around the dark magic for far too long. As of the moment, without the original caster, Wildwing would be risking his life to try and undo what's been done.

"I'm sure you agree that that's too high of a risk to take, yes?"

Mallory, for once in her life, was speechless. She had not been back long enough to know that tidbit of information. She'd only seen the other team members briefly last night, and none of them spoke of it. Perhaps they didn't know either.

"We understand how hard this is for you, Ms. McMallard."

"Do you?" she sarcastically asked, her eyes back on the ground.

"It would not be forever, mind you. Once the publicity dies down you and Wildwing may begin a courtship and subsequent binding when the time is right—I'm sure the public would eat that up."

"We're not your celebrities," Mallory growled. "This is _my_ life you're dictating. What's wrong with simply telling the truth?" Mallory stood up, sending her chair rolling backwards. "Afraid to admit your security wasn't so up to par that day?"

"First Lieutenant_ McMallard_, I suggest you watch your next sentence," Colonel Redferd barked back, staring coolly back at the red-headed duck.

Mallory shook her head, the anger subsiding from her voice. "I've had enough bureaucracy for a lifetime. If you wish for me to pretend that my lifemate is no longer mine, than you can also pretend that Mallory McMallard was never a part of the Strike Force."

The three male ducks were silent as they looked at each other. A silent agreement was made, however, and the colonel finally spoke up: "That can be arranged."

* * *

Junip watched from a distance as Wildwing and Grin sat facing one another in the large temple. They'd been that way for over two hours now, their beaks only moving a few times during the meditation. She was too far away to hear anything, but she didn't mind.

She didn't want to disturb them, mainly because she really didn't want to tell Wildwing what she knew.

"Hello, stalker."

Junip turned around to see Nosedive behind her, his arms crossed as he attempted—and failed—to look at her accusingly.

"Hello yourself."

Nosedive shrugged and sat next to Junip on the stone bench. It wasn't much longer than a week ago that he and Mallory had sat in similar positions, watching Grin help Wildwing remember.

"Please tell me you're here because you're ready to reverse the spell."

Junip glanced down before looking back at the meditating duo. She refused to look Nosedive in the eye. "No."

Nosedive sighed, rubbing his beak with his hands tiredly. "It can't be done."

The old raven duck paused, then shrugged. "It can be done, but at a risk."

"How much of one?"

"I'm not particularly good at statistics."

"Junip, you're gonna have to come up with some then, because Wildwing is to the point where, shy of a puckblaster to the head, he's gonna do it if it means remembering Mal."

Junip grimaced a bit. "Yeah, about that."

"What? About what?"

Junip looked at Nosedive almost pleadingly. "I am just the messenger, okay?"

Any sign of humor was gone from Nosedive in a flash. "What are you talking about? What's going on?"

"I was pulled into a Council meeting an hour ago. They told me to tell you guys first, and then to have you all meet with them to discuss logistics.

"Essentially, I am to not perform the spell on Wildwing due to its risk of, well, death. Wildwing is to relearn all that he can about his time on Earth. And," Junip reached into her pocket, pulling something out but keeping a tight fist around it. "And as of right now, there are only five living Strike Force members."

Junip reached out with her tightly fisted hand and dropped its contents into Nosedive's palm.

It was Mallory's ring.

* * *

"It was MY choice to make!" Wildwing yelled, his panic winning over his anger.

"Mr. Flashblade, it was also _her_ choice to make. We did not ask her to leave." Fonderson calmly replied.

"No, you's jus' asked her ta pretend dat da last four years of 'er life was a lie," Duke sarcastically responded, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.

The five remaining Strike Force members were in the same room where Mallory had sat several hours prior, speaking to the same three male ducks. The conversation was not going well.

"Just tell me where she is and I'll talk to her," Wildwing pleaded, his pacing back and forth in the room only wavering long enough so that he could look at the military officer and two Council members.

"She asked to keep her departure secret for a few hours because she implicitly knew someone would try and talk her out of it," Becker filled in for Fonderson.

Tanya's eyes were red from crying. "You can't just expect us to, uh, forget about her. She was our teammate, and a part of our family."

Duke came up and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You can't just take Mall'y out of the story on Earth—she was a huge part o' it, wit' or wit'out 'er relationship w' Wing."

"We offered her—we _wanted_ her to be a part of the story. We only asked that she hold off on revealing their relationship until things died down." Becker continued to argue their stance determinedly.

"No, you asked her to start over," Nosedive corrected. "You basically told her their time back on Earth didn't exist, but given a year or who knows when THEN they could pretend to date."

"To be fair, at this point in time their relationship DOESN'T exist," Fonderson's voice raised firmly but devoid of any emotion.

"I would have rather pretended it did then to lose her completely," Wildwing replied, his voice tired as he finally sat down in one of the chairs dejectedly.

"Not according to our reports. You had requested separate rooms, isolation time to meditate on your own as well as with Grin. In fact, you seemed more eager just to remember your past than to even acknowledge that you in fact had a lifemate within this facility. Trust me, we discussed this extensively with psychiatrists and the officers looking over you," Becker disputed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "By our accounts you were not ready to pretend any sort of relationship."

"You were _watching_ me?" Wildwing spat out, obviously insulted. "You took all this information and assumed without even _asking_ me. I was scared, all right? I didn't know HOW to act because I didn't want to confuse HER. Maybe it wasn't my best approach, but I could have told you from the beginning I wanted her to be a part of my life."

"She told us to tell you that she would return, but wished to lay low during the official reveal. Once the story was out and had died down, she would return; she simply wanted time to 'collect her thoughts,' or so she said," Fonderson offered, though his voice suggested he knew this was a lost cause.

Wildwing stood up, shaking his head. "This is ridiculous. Either tell me where she is or I'll go find her myself, and you'll have four living Strike Force members."

"Three," Nosedive agreed, standing up.

"None," Duke corrected, with Tanya and Grin standing next to him.

The Council representatives looked at each other and sighed. They looked to the colonel who had remained silent through the ordeal.

He looked at the rest of the Strike Force after a few moments of silence. "She was given a new identity and a lump sum of cash to live off of—all we know is that she asked to be dropped off at the train station."

"LET ME THROUGH!"

The collective of ducks looked to the door to see it burst open with Junip and two officers trying to hold her back. Despite the officers trying to pull her away, she looked excitedly at Wildwing. "Wing! I found Sprocket!"


	11. Chapter 11

A small male duck, no older than 17, sat alone in a fortified chamber, behind bars that kept him from performing any kind of magic.

The remaining Strike Force members, along with the three government officials and Junip stood in a room down the hallway, watching the lonely duck through video feed.

The colonel was the first to speak up. "You know very well, Ms. Graffies, that performing magic on the base itself is a violation of your probation."

Junip, still smiling, crossed her arms in defiance. "For one, Redferd, you know I don't like my last name. Secondly, you also know me well enough by now to know that I wouldn't do anything to harm someone on this base—I saw an opportunity and I took it."

Colonel Redferd harrumphed, but did not argue with the older mallard.

"What opportunity?" Wildwing asked, his eyes still on the supposed caster.

"We had captured about 11 of the worshippers during the rescue. In typical Old Ways fashion, they remained silent on their interrogations, and even to each other in the cells.

"Their cells prevented them—and me—from using telepathy, but during their transfer to the vehicles that'd take them to the prison, I was able to slip into their minds. Once I knew which one he was, I quickly told one of the officers and stopped his transfer."

"You're failing to mention that you changed out the vests they wore in order to do so," Colonel Redferd reminded her, his tone depicting his anger.

Junip sighed and shrugged. "The vests still stopped them from casting _most_ spells, and allowed me to cast my own without interference. Besides, they were all pretty new to the magic."

"So we're sure it's him?" Duke asked, interrupting before Colonel Redferd could digress the situation further.

"He certainly thinks he's Sprocket," Junip confirmed, returning her gaze to the video feed. "And he's _so_ new to the club, I bet it wouldn't take long to crack him." She turned to Colonel Redferd, her expression alone asking an unasked question.

The Council representative Fonderson spoke up before Colonel Redferd could. "If he's willing, he would be able to reverse the spell without endangering Mr. Flashblade's life?"

Junip nodded. "He's the original caster, so rather than trying to reverse his misfired spell he could just use a _Yuntinerrey_ clause." When the rest of the group stared speechless at her, she elaborated, "It's an undo of a spell that you cast, essentially. But it only works for what you cast, not someone else's."

The Council representatives looked to the colonel. The colonel looked at the feed, then to Junip. "And what if the boy tries to pull a fast one?"

"I was thinking about that, and if we keep him within the cell, I can supervise. I know the incantation well enough to be able to turn back on the cell's barrier field if I hear any deviations." Junip crossed her arms and looked quite proud with herself. She kept her gaze on Colonel Redferd, waiting.

"I'm willing to try," Wildwing offered, though it didn't seem like the government officials gave him much a say in anything as of late.

"Reform will take time," Colonel Redferd reminded.

"How much time we talking here?" Nosedive asked.

"Some worshippers took months to reform," Becker responded, looking directly at Junip.

"I took a while because I'd been in it for years," Junip argued. "This boy here looks like he joined not even a few months ago. He hasn't been taught as well, and I can _feel_ his reluctance in it—remember, I was in his mind a couple hours ago. I can break him, I know I can."

Silence filled the space of time from Junip's words to Colonel Redferd's eventual response: "Then begin the reformation process."

"Yes sir," Junip proclaimed, smiling as she walked towards the door.

"Junip!" Wildwing called. She stopped and turned to look at him. "Thank you."

Junip smiled again, simply nodding before disappearing around the door.

"What is the reformation process, anyway?" Tanya asked, tearing her eyes away from the video feed.

"We used to hypnotize them and use an onslaught of footage to try and reason with them. It was difficult. Now that we have former worshippers working for us, they perform some sort to telepathy link to show the worshipper we mean no harm and to reason with them inside their minds. However they do it, it works well." Fonderson answered as the group made their way out of the surveillance room.

"I want to search for Mallory in the meantime," Wildwing insisted.

Becker sighed. "We will have our reconnaissance team try and trace her whereabouts. Once we have an idea of where she is, we'll get in contact with her and bring her to you. We are not about to let any more of you out of our sight until we're sure we've caught the majority of the worshippers that have a very obvious vendetta against all of you."

Wildwing opened his beak to argue, but Colonel Redferd turned to stop him. "Mr. Flashblade, we will find her. At this point in time, however, you and your team need to be patient. There is nothing more that can be done to fix your memories or to bring McMallard back. Understood?"

Wildwing didn't have time to answer. During the conversation the three officials had walked down the hall, the rest following, and then entered into an elevator alone. Shortly after the colonel had finished his sentence the doors hissed shut, taking the Council members back up to ground level.

"Man, you guys ever miss Earth?" Nosedive asked, walking over to push the elevator call button again. "Dealing with Phil was way easier than this."

* * *

The young mallard looked a bit sickly as Wildwing entered the cell, Junip close behind. When he saw Wildwing he quickly averted his gaze, looking almost ashamed.

It'd been two long weeks, but Junip had finally interrupted Grin and Wildwing during a meditation session to let them know that Sprocket was ready.

She had told them that they had to do it quickly, however, as her daily sessions into Sprocket's mind was a lot like winding a clock: in each mind session she "wound" him to be reciprocal to her reasoning, but as the night wore on and the next day dragged, her next session began with him once more hostile and disagreeable, as if his internal clock had wound down and all her reasoning had become less and less logical.

He was getting better each night, but slowly. This particular session had caused a lot of guilt in Sprocket, however, and Junip was convinced she could get him to perform the spell before he changed his mind.

The others were obviously hesitant, but even the Council members trusted Junip's judgment enough to let her try. It was obvious that the old mallard had significantly helped the Council after her reformation.

"Sprocket, are you ready?" Junip asked kindly, almost in a grandmotherly fashion as she shut the cell doors behind her.

The sickly adolescent glanced briefly back up at Junip. "I … I think so." He let his eyes drift to Wildwing again.

Wildwing held the gaze for a few moments, but eventually looked away from the piercing eyes. Silence reigned as the three formed a sort of triangle, with Wildwing and Junip standing and Sprocket sitting on the side of his cot.

Eventually, Sprocket spoke up, directing his gaze back at Wildwing. "The war was too long."

Wildwing tilted his head slightly. "I'm sorry?"

Sprocket shrugged his shoulders, staying seated on his cot with his trunk leaning forward as if he was nauseous. He looked back to the ground. "I wish you would've defeated Dragaunas sooner.

"If you had, I'd still have my parents and sister, and none of us would be here now."

Wildwing was taken aback by his words, but Junip responded before he could: "Sprocket, we talked about this."

"No, I understand," Wildwing answered, causing Sprocket to look back at him with surprise. "We all lost so many. I wish we could've been faster taking him down, or at least getting him off the planet. I'm sorry for your losses."

Junip glanced between the two, but she smiled slightly at Wildwing's true admission. She hadn't meant to, but she could read in his mind that his words were genuine.

Sprocket could, too.

Sprocket did not smile, but looked back at the ground and began chanting.

Wildwing felt a fuzzy feeling inside him, followed by the world beginning to spin. The ground came up fast, though he couldn't figure out why, and even as he heard Junip call his name, the lights faded out.


	12. Chapter 12

_"You going to miss it?"_

_Wildwing smiled, glancing at his lifemate walking beside him. "No, not really."_

_"Oh, come on, you know you are."_

_"Okay, I guess the weather was pretty nice," Wildwing lamented, though anyone who knew him could tell he was being facetious. "It'd be nice to have the option to visit Earth, at least," he added more thoughtfully._

_"Yeah," Mallory responded, looking up at the cloudy sky above. She looked over at Wildwing. "I will enjoy seeing your face some more."_

_Realizing she was referring to the Drake DuCaine Mask, or rather the lack thereof, Wildwing rolled his eyes. "You see me plenty without the mask."_

_Mallory shook her head. "Not out in public like this I haven't. It was the strongest asset we ever had at defeating Dragaunas, but seeing you without it now is a great reminder that it's all over."_

_Wildwing smiled in understanding. "I suppose." They walked some more in amicable silence before Wildwing spoke up: "What about you, are you going to miss anything about it?"_

_Mallory shrugged a bit. "I already miss how sunny it was. And I'm sure I'll miss some of the people." She glanced at the ground, her voice lowering slightly. "Especially Buzz."_

_Their arms were interlocked as they walked, so when Wildwing slowed to a stop Mallory did too. "Who knows, maybe the Council will find a way to keep a connection between the worlds. After all, we did manage to get back here."_

_Mallory smiled, but it was forced. "If it was just us, sure. But with the Council, and all the riots that have happened since the war, I'd imagine that kind of power might be better off buried._

_"Earth doesn't have the technology Puckworld does."_

_Wildwing, understanding her implications, nodded and began walking again. "The Council has always been full of good and evil alike."_

_Mallory hummed in agreement._

_Wildwing, looking slightly nervous suddenly, let his eyes wander around the edges of the base as he said his next words: "Maybe, once all this hero stuff is over, we can look into settling down."_

_Mallory, not noticing his change in demeanor, hummed again. "Somewhere just outside the city would be nice. I don't want to be active duty anymore, but maybe I could instruct." She glanced over at Wildwing and grinned even more. "Maybe you could still play hockey," she added._

_Wildwing lightly laughed at that but shook his head. "We'll see about that. That's a lot of travelling, and I think I'd rather be a homebody for the rest of my life. Besides," he glimpsed over at his lifemate as they turned a corner on the trail, "I sort of meant a different type of settling."_

_Mallory's eyes widened slightly and she glanced back at the ground. "Wing, I—"_

_She never said her next words, however, as three hooded figures came out from behind some bushes and stopped them in their tracks._

_"LORD SLAYER!" one yelled, raising his hand towards Wildwing._

_Before either could react, a pair of hands came up from behind Mallory and grabbed her at the shoulders. Instinct kicked in and she flipped them over her head. Wildwing kicked out at another hooded figure that came from his side, sending them flying backwards._

_Both Wildwing and Mallory used their hand-to-hand combat skills as best they could, but there were at least eight of them to fight off. Mallory kicked one away from her and gave a swift uppercut to another, but a third snuck up behind and hit her in the head with a scepter._

_"MALLORY!"_

_Mallory fell unconscious and sank to the ground instantly. Wildwing lost his focus, causing two hooded figures to grab him from behind. He growled and struggled but could not get free._

_"HELP, WE'RE UNDER—"_

_Wildwing felt his voice suddenly gone from him, causing him to choke slightly at his sudden intake of air. He tried again but to no avail._

_A hooded figure came up to him, removing his obscuring cloth to reveal a dark Raptrin with an ugly scar on his face. He shook his head at Wildwing almost patronizingly._

_"Tsk tsk now, we mustn't alert others to our whereabouts," he said, his voice raspy and low. Wildwing again tried to speak but realized quickly that something had been done to him to prevent that._

_The Raptrin remained emotionless for a moment as he continued studying Wildwing. Finally he moved, furrowing his brow. "For your gross transgression, Lord Slayer, you will see all your loved ones die before you." The Raptrin smiled, his ruthless expression showing no mercy. Wildwing swallowed hard but his glare remained fixated on the speaker. "We will hide a spell in you that will smolder … when you are all revealed to Puckworld, you will personally kill the heads of the Council and the rest of your teammates._

_"You will watch yourself, with no control, as you become the notorious leader of the Strike Force that will live on for eternity."_

_The rest of the hooded figures chanted a short saying, causing the Raptrin to laugh. "But we mustn't let them know of our intentions, fellow brethren. We will hide the true spell with an apprentice's." The Raptrin turned and looked back at his followers. "Sprocket, come forward."_

_One of the hooded figures hesitantly stepped forward._

_"Come here, child. You must learn sometime."_

_The hooded figure hesitated again before taking the few remaining steps up to the Raptrin. "Craithin, master, my powers are yours." Wildwing's eyes widened at the voice: Sprocket was indeed a child._

_"After my incantation, you must freeze the Lord Slayer. Understood?"_

_Sprocket stood perfectly still. "Yes, my Lord Craithin."_

_Wildwing struggled again, realizing what was about to happen._

_"But before we do that, my own brethren must not remember the true spell—one cannot reveal what one does not know!"_

_Wildwing was confused, but watched as Sprocket's eyes widened at his so-called master. Before he or any of the others could react, Craithin began speaking in a language Wildwing had only ever heard from Wraith. He watched helplessly as his own kidnappers fell to the ground holding their heads. The ones holding Wildwing lost their grip, and he instantly used his body to hit Craithin hard._

_The two ducks fell to the ground, but Craithin continued to chant, causing Wildwing to lose focus as an excruciating pain erupted from within his head. He tried to hold the Raptrin down, but he grew weak quickly and felt the Raptrin throw him off as he tried to regain his bearings._

_"Sprocket, now!"_

_Wildwing managed to look up and see that Sprocket—along with the rest of the followers—were on their feet again, none the wiser. Sprocket began chanting as Wildwing tried to charge him._

_He felt a weight lifted off his shoulders suddenly. Where was he? What was he doing?_

_A figure in front of him continued to move his beak, even as they faded from existence. He watched with growing relief as the world became a swirling vortex of nothing._

_He felt himself hit the ground hard, with warmth radiating on his back. Itchy branch leaves scratched at his face, but he did not move. He was so tired, and so relaxed._

_He let the blackness envelope him._

* * *

Wildwing's eyes slowly blinked open, finding his head resting comfortingly on a pillow.

"Bro?"

The voice sounded familiar. He blinked a couple more times before glancing to his left. A blonde duck with tan feathers stared worriedly at him.

"Dive," he answered gruffly. As soon as he spoke he felt the piercing stabbing of a headache making its way known. "Where am I?"

"In a cell."

Wildwing opened his eyes wide and tried to sit up. Large straps adorning his chest and legs prevented him from doing so. "What—what happened?" he finally asked, fear causing his blood to run cold.

Nosedive smiled a bit. "You went a bit cuckoo, is all."

Wildwing, unable to move forward, allowed himself to rest back on the cot he was lying on. "Cuckoo?" he prompted.

"Yeah, a wee bit. Sprocket undid his spell, and then you woke up and freaked out about another spell on you, saying you were going to kill us all, so Junip got in your head and figured out what you were talking about."

Wildwing looked confused. "Then why am I here?"

Nosedive grimaced a bit. "Well, you have to remember that Craithin was the one that casted this spell … it was even out of Junip's league."

A haunted look crossed Wildwing's face. "Drake, I'm still cursed?"

Nosedive shrugged. "Maybe? We sort had this crazy idea and went with it."

Wildwing frowned but stayed silent.

"We figured if the only way to trigger the spell was to have the official reveal, we should just have the reveal. A fake one, I mean," Nosedive added when Wildwing's eyes widened even more.

"We didn't tell you, and Junip sort of erased your memory—"

"WHAT?!"

"Temporarily, and only Mallory!" Nosedive added, but cringed a bit at even saying that.

"She had no right—"

"Hey hey hey Big Bro, let me finish! You know Mallory now, don't you?"

Wildwing, looking a bit livid, sighed and nodded.

"See? She reversed it already. ANYWAY, we erased your memory so we could do a fake ceremony and bring the spell out of you. As soon as we were announced you went crazy, trying to kill everyone. Thankfully, we gave you a fake gun and Junip subdued you pretty quick.

"We brought you in here and she's been testing your mind since then, making sure no trace of the spell remains."

Wildwing, digesting the slew of information as best he could, glanced at Nosedive and back at his straps. "Why can't I remember any of this?"

"Junip said she did that to make things go a bit smoother."

"Isn't that _my _choice to make?" Wildwing asked snippily.

Nosedive frowned. "Well, it was your choice."

"What?"

"You were having a hard time doing this because of Mal, not to mention the fear of, y'know, killing us. She said a little amnesia would help the process go by faster, so you agreed."

"Then why am I still strapped?" Wildwing asked, pulling on his restraints to make a point.

"Junip's sessions with you keep bringing up the last moments before you got teleported. You were having some pretty gnarly nightmares for a while there."

"What about Mallory? Have we—" Wildwing stopped mid-sentence, realizing the most important thing since waking.

He remembered his lifemate.

"Wing?" Nosedive asked worriedly, seeing Wildwing zone out momentarily.

"I—I remember," Wildwing said gruffly. "I remember Mallory. The Strike Force, Earth … I _remember_."

Nosedive's smile grew wider. "That's like, the _third _time you've said that since Sprocket undid his magic."

Wildwing gave his brother a cross, albeit sarcastic look. "Well, how many times has someone made me forget?"

"Touché."

"So can I get out of these straps or not?"

Nosedive stood up from the chair he sat in, walking over to the cell door and knocking. "Junip wants to give you one more looksie to make sure you don't plan on murdering us all, and then you'll be good as gold."

The cell doors opened with a hiss and a guard appeared.

"Let me go get her," Nosedive said, walking out the door.

"Dive, wait!"

Nosedive stopped, looking back to Wildwing.

"What about Mallory? Is she here?"

Nosedive shook his head. "She isn't here, but we have a pretty good idea of where she is."

* * *

It was ironic that she'd end up back here. But Mallory, with no family and strict orders to change her name, had felt this was the only appropriate place to return to.

She had took the train to the west coast, and a ship to the next continent. Another train ride and a long bus ride later, she had ended up a few miles north of where she'd been a couple of weeks ago.

She was not an outdoors duck by any means. She'd have rather changed her name and gotten an apartment somewhere in a busy city. But if she had done that then she'd be surrounded by the big news of the Strike Force returning to Puckworld.

It would have haunted her, and at this point in time she didn't think she could handle it.

Frank and Danexis welcomed her back, despite their surprise at seeing her. They were angry from her story, and were not surprised at the Council's handling of the situation. They assured her there was very little technology to be had in the village, and while the big news would travel by mouth eventually, she'd be safe from the constant hounding of video feeds and pictures that would surely plague the cities.

She didn't wear traditionalist robes, but she was content helping the villagers gather their food sources. She was taught how to use a spear to catch game, and enjoyed a menagerie of books that Frank had brought with him.

But it felt like a vacation, and a lonely one at that.

She hated leaving the team the way she did, but arguing with the Council was impossible. In the end her teammates would have convinced her to go along with the charade, because they wouldn't want to lose her. She would have had to pretend, in the public's eye no less, that her lifemate wasn't hers.

They'd be celebrities, especially with the plans the Council had in mind for them, and Wildwing would be surrounded by groupies. Eventually they could work on building their relationship again, but … what if he changed his mind?

It was selfish of her to leave, and she knew that. But she had nothing to prove. She was okay with never being a part of history, or becoming a hero. She missed her teammates, but she'd eventually return to be with them, if they allowed her to.

But for right now, she needed to learn to be on her own again.

She did ask to use Wildwing's old room, however. It wouldn't help her move on, but in a way it was comforting to be a part of his past that he actually remembered. When she brought her things in she had found his clothes he'd been found in, from the day they were attacked.

It was his normal street clothes, ripped up and tattered a bit from the grueling desert environment he had faced when he first got teleported here. They'd been washed and folded neatly in the bottom drawer, forgotten about.

She had left them where they were.

* * *

_Epilogue_

_A few weeks later_

A knock on her door caused Mallory to look up from her reading. "Come in," she said.

The door opened and Danexis walked in. "Hey, Mallory."

"Hey, what's up?" Mallory asked, putting her book down.

"Um, someone's here to see you." Danexis didn't give Mallory time to respond, however. She took a step back out of the doorway, allowing space for Wildwing to enter.

Mallory stood up quickly. "Wildwing?"

Wildwing smiled at her. "I should've known you'd come back here."

Mallory's breath hitched in her throat. She didn't know what to say.

"I have something for you." He took a step forward, his bulky form taking up most of the doorway. He reached into his pocket and pulled out her wedding band.

Mallory looked at it and back at him. Before she could respond, he said, "That night I proposed, when everything went wrong, was one of the best nights of my life. I don't know how I could've ever forgotten it, but I'm sorry I did."

Mallory didn't need another cue. She quickly closed the space between them and jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. Wildwing held her tightly, her ring still in his hand.

"I'm so sorry," he repeated, tears welling up in his eyes.

"You didn't do anything wrong," she replied, her voice slightly muffled with her face buried in the crook of his neck. "Drake, I missed you."

Wildwing gently put her back on the floor, reaching for her hand. He gently placed her ring on the proper finger. "I love you."

Mallory, with tears flowing down her cheeks, smiled up at him. "And I love you."

"Let's go home."

fin


End file.
